Not As It Seems
by PsychoCircus
Summary: Supergirl is making a great showing in National City, but now there's a mysterious hero risking his life without the benefit of any powers or tech. Supergirl must determine if he'll be a great ally...or become a liability. In the meantime, disaster is building, and Supergirl must confront one of the deadliest encounters of her life.
1. Prologue

**AN:** This story will be following the TV show continuity, primarily, but there will be little bits and pieces of the comics continuity mixed in as well. This is my first fic for this site, and I hope you enjoy.

 _ **Supergirl: Not As It Seems**_

 **Prologue**

" _Does National City have two heroes willing to go above and beyond? Supergirl is seen here taking a frontal assault on the fire at the Elkton apartment complex, National City's largest housing complex for low income families,"_ said the voice of the reporter on the large TV in the outer offices of CatCo Media. The camera switched to a view of Supergirl using her super breath on the fire, blowing it out, even as firemen and other emergency rescue personnel work frantically to save the building's tenants.

However, that wasn't all. The camera switched views, and sliding down a thick power cable, hanging by a belt, was a man, holding a young pregnant woman, who was in turn holding what looked like a three year old little girl. They were both smeared with soot, and as soon as they hit the ground, dropping fifteen feet from the overhead cable onto the ground where the man took the entire brunt of the impact, the man, dark haired and apparently young, made sure the woman and her child were safe with a pair of EMTs, and disappeared into the crowd. The reporter continued, _"But here we see an uncommon example of heroism, as this unidentified young man rescued several tenants from certain death, before saving this woman, her child, and then disappearing into the confusion. Who is this person, and what is their agenda? We'll be interviewing witnesses, and have more on the news at ten."_

The debate about the unknown rescuer continued on the news, but Winn Schott, IT person for CatCo Media, had stopped listening. The elevator door had opened, and a young woman with dark blonde hair emerged, carrying a latte and a small bag. She had a rather frazzled look on her face as she negotiated her way around the many desks, heading for the glass doors of the boss' office, behind which Cat Grant, multimedia mogul, waited impatiently for her breakfast.

Winn matched her stride and spoke quietly near her ear, "Hey, great job with the fire, Kara. You're really getting the hang of this superhero stuff." Around them, the office bustled on, oblivious to their conversation. The young girl named Kara didn't slow a step as she moved closer to the office.

She did, however, offer a quick smile, and a whispered response, "Thanks, Winn. It feels good actually being able to do something like that and not cause a bigger problem in the process." She shook her head though, glancing back at the TV, where a sketch artist's drawing of the mystery rescuer had been composited from eyewitness accounts. It wasn't very good, very vague even, and the reporter said that none of those saved by the mystery man got a very good look at him.

"Besides, I wasn't alone. I had help, after all," she continued, nodding towards the TV. "Whoever he is, that was a very brave thing he did." She glanced up to see Cat Grant staring at her through the clear glass, hand on her hip, and a less than happy expression on her face.

This look wasn't lost on Kara, nor was it lost on Winn. Slowing down, he nervously stammered, "Well, um, I guess I better let you get in before Cat tries to rip your head off. She's in a particularly bad mood today." Their boss was notorious for being less than jovial at the best of times. Times like today, she was downright vicious.

Thanking Winn quickly, she immediately pushed through the glass doors, holding out the latte and bag with an apologetic expression on her face. "I'm really sorry this is late, Miss Grant. The fire had traffic backed up and several streets blocked off. I had to get creative to find a way through it all to get this for you," she said with a genuinely apologetic tone.

 _Not to mention I had a fire to put out and people to save, so the latte and croissant wasn't exactly a priority,_ she thought with a rueful smile. She could still feel the heat of the fire on her skin, and smell the acrid scent of burning insulation and wiring. She just hoped she'd managed to clean herself up enough that no one else could smell it on her.

Cat was already waving her hand in a dismissive gesture as she took the latte from Kara's outstretched hand. Her attention was focused mainly on the bank of monitors behind her desk, where footage of the fire was still being shown, and the identity of the mystery good Samaritan was still being debated.

"You said the fire impeded your ability to bring me a hot latte and a bakery fresh croissant?" she asked with not a little condescension in the tone. At Kara's affirmative noise, she nodded softly. "Did you by any chance happen to get a look at this reluctant hero they've been talking about for the past half hour?"

Kara Danvers swallowed slowly, thinking in rapid fire thoughts. She'd seen him, yes, even looked at him with her telescopic vision, trying to get a better look, but he'd managed to stay out of good direct line of sight. "Sort of," she replied, nervously glancing between her boss and the monitors behind the desk.

Cat turned towards her with a glare that could pop bolts out of an airplane fuselage, and put a hand on her hip, tossing her hair back over her shoulder. "Did you 'sort of' actually get a look at him, a good enough look to have an idea of what he looks like, or, I don't know, maybe who the hell he is?" She huffed impatiently and growled as she took a long drink of the latte. "Seriously, Kara," she continued, mangling the pronunciation of Kara's name as she always did. "Did you see _anything_ that we could report that apparently nobody else saw? Something we can put over on those dime store deadbeats that call themselves news people?"

Kara's mind raced, as she searched for an answer that'd be vague enough to be believable, but that would satisfy Cat as well. Pushing her glasses back up her nose with the tip of her middle finger, she tilted her head to the left, lifting her left shoulder at the same time, and exhaled mildly. "I saw him well enough to know he's around my age or so, dark haired, tall, and he looked like he was fairly well built, but I didn't see his face for more than an instant, and it was blurred by the heat fumes and smoke," she answered truthfully, because she hadn't seen much more than that. She still had no idea who he was, and probably couldn't identify him if he were in front of her, but she got the feeling that he didn't stick around for thank you's for a reason.

Cat slowly walked towards her, absently sipping from her latte, her eyes seeming to bore into Kara's. She studied her assistant for a long moment in tense silence, as if sizing her up. Finally, she broke her silence, "That's at least a little better than what these clowns got out of people he was actually saving, so that's something. Good work on paying attention during stressful newsworthy events, Kara."

The young Kryptonian was about to say something in response, but Cat cut her off before she could form words, with a waving hand, as she went to sit back behind her desk. "Go give that little tidbit to the news director for the television news, then get back up here. I want you to comb every record you can find and see if our mystery man pops up. Why are you still standing here?"

Kara went to apologize, but Cat had already sat down, waving her off, and was busily searching for something on her computer. She wouldn't hear her anyway, and if she did, she'd probably just be irritated, so Kara left her office, going to do exactly what Cat told her to do.

An hour later, Kara had told the news director what she could, and he had thanked her. It was something they could use, at least. So, a short question and answer session later, and dealing with a sketch artist, and she was heading back up to her desk.

She stepped out of the elevator, and entered the outer office area, to see someone standing at her desk. Winn was watching the man there closely, even somewhat nervously. Considering the man was twice Winn's size, and was a formidable looking figure, it was no wonder, though she'd never tell Winn that. The man wasn't huge in a bulky sort of way, but athletic looking, well muscled, but lean.

"I tried to tell him to just come back in a while, but he wouldn't listen," Winn whispered as he got up to meet her halfway across the office floor. "He's barely said anything, and he's as stubborn as hell. Be careful, who knows what he wants."

Kara's eyes moved to the man even as Winn talked, and she noticed his ID badge, marking him as a CatCo employee. She smiled reassuringly at her friend, and whispered back, "I'm sure he's just here for whichever department head he works for, Winn. He _does_ work here, you know. Its not like he's some total stranger off the street, right?"

Winn made a little noise, but didn't say anything beyond that. Instead, he opted to sit in his chair, and busy himself refining the network protocols. For that, Kara was thankful. Smiling, she walked up to the man at her desk and tilted her head slightly, "Hi there, I'm Kara Danvers, Miss Grant's executive assistant. Is there something I can help you with?" There was something familiar about this guy, though Kara was sure she'd never spoken with him before. She couldn't even seem to remember having seen him before. His ID badge said he was in the graphics department, so maybe he'd been in James' office or something at some point. Maybe that's why he seemed familiar. Her memory might not be as photographic as she thought.

The man smiled lightly and extended his hand towards her. "Hello," he answered in a pleasant enough voice, meeting her gaze evenly with his own. He seemed a little quiet, like he wasn't really used to this sort of thing. "I'm Joseph Swift...though most call me Joe, obviously. I, um, was told you had a packet that Miss Grant was sending us to clean up some photos and that sort of thing? And that it had a rush on it?"

The photos that someone had gotten from the car wreck the day before, where the same mysterious hero had pulled two children and a young woman to safety before anyone got there, and Cat had wanted a rush on cleaning them up and posting them on the website, being in the paper, and plastering them across the evening news! It all flooded back to Kara with a vengeance, and she smiled sheepishly, scrambling around on her desk and finally finding the packet. "It looks like this good Samaritan is a busy guy," she said, nodding towards the packet. "A car wreck yesterday, a fire today, it makes you wonder what's coming tomorrow? A spaceship crashing on top of a school?"

Her attempt at humor kind of fell flat, but Joe Swift decided he liked Kara at that point, though. She seemed nice, and like a good person. He laughed half heartedly, and gingerly rubbed his forearm, which was concealed to the wrist by his shirt sleeve, thankfully. He thought there'd be far too many questions if it wasn't concealed. "Let's hope not," he said in a friendly tone, smiling at Kara once again, and tapping the packet in his hand. "Miss Grant's going to have a heart attack if I don't get these done, pronto. So, that being said, I'll see you, Kara. Its been really great meeting you." Smiling at her once again, he called out to Winn, "And good to meet you too, Winn. You guys have a great day."

After Joe Swift's form disappeared behind the elevator doors closing, Kara released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Joe seemed like a nice enough guy, a little quiet, but that wasn't a bad thing necessarily. Winn sidled up to her and nodded towards the elevator, "Nice enough, I guess. A little too quiet for my taste, though. It makes him kind of creepy."

Kara's gaze followed his, and she furrowed her brows, shaking her head. "I don't think he's creepy, Winn. He's just quiet. Just because you work here doesn't mean you have to be loud and obnoxious. _You're_ pretty quiet, after all. You're not creepy," she said with a smile, moving to sit down at her desk. She'd be happy if she made it through the rest of the day without something else happening.

Winn scoffed as he sat down as well, leaning towards her desk so others couldn't hear, "Of course _you_ don't think he's creepy. Good looking guy, handsome, athletic, just happens to be the one they send to get the packet from you, why on Earth would you think he's creepy? I think he's creepy _because_ he's a handsome, good looking guy and just happens to be who they sent."

Kara actually giggled and shook her head at her friend. "You've got a very vivid imagination, Winn," she said, laughing still, as she turned her monitor on and began searching for the appointment book shortcut. She had to admit, though, that Winn was right. He was a nice looking guy. But that's all. Lots of people were nice looking. Winn was nice looking. That didn't mean anything was going on, just because she thought they were nice.

The pair worked in relative silence for some time after that. Kara was surprised at how much work she got done, but her mind kept wandering back to the mysterious hero who was risking life and limb to help others, without any super powers, or armor, or anything to make him less likely to need help than the people he was helping. And why wasn't he sticking around? She was sure it was a good reason, she just couldn't figure out what that reason was.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Joe Swift favored his injured arm, trying to keep anyone else from noticing that it was injured, as he made his way back to the graphics department, and his desk. Sitting and exhaling slowly, he stared at his computer screen for a long moment. His thoughts drifted towards the boss' executive assistant for a moment. _Pretty girl,_ he thought, his lips curling upwards slightly in a smile. _A really pretty girl. She seems smart, too. I'll bet whoever the lucky guy is that makes her smile is extremely happy, and appreciative of the little things in life, like that dazzling smile of hers._

He knew he shouldn't be thinking about such things, but he'd decided that he liked the young woman quite a bit. The young fellow that sat near her, and had admirably tried to defend her workspace, Winn, seemed pretty nice, as well. The young man had behaved as if he considered Swift a threat, at first, and he chuckled softly at the thought, opening his sleeve enough to take a look at his arm. It was very red and burned, but thankfully there were no blisters or anything like that. It hurt like hell, though, of that there was no doubt. When lunch rolled around, he figured he'd dress it in the bathroom, after grabbing a first aid kit.

Glancing over his shoulder, he could see his immediate superior, James Olsen, busy putting together a layout. He'd cut it close this morning, and he still ended up being fifteen minutes late. He was sure Olsen, and definitely Miss Grant, would notice if that sort of thing happened again anytime soon. But he couldn't very well have come to work covered in soot, stinking to high Heaven of smoke, and looking like a reject from the cast of _Backdraft_. So after a very quick shower, and taking enough time to get all the tangles out of his long, dark hair, he put it up in a ponytail, and made his way to work, no one seeming the wiser, as everyone seemed caught up in the story of the fire.

He'd been doing this sort of thing ever since he had moved to National City. Helping others had been the natural thing to do, and it wasn't some attempt at grandstanding or for fame. Swift took great care to make sure no one got a good look at him, and he never stuck around to be interviewed, or identified. He had needed to get away from Gotham City, his original home, so he'd moved to National City, thinking to make a fresh start, where no one knew him and he could live his life and let others live theirs in peace. Gotham was too full of crime, it had been since he was a child, and even with the influence of Batman and his partners, the crime was still very prominent in the day to day dealings of Gotham City. Besides that, being in Gotham was a constant reminder of what, and who, he'd lost. He felt he had to get away before the memories drove him mad. Of course, he still had those memories in National City, but they weren't nearly as strong, and didn't come as often unbidden as they had in Gotham.

"That looks like a nasty burn," said a voice behind him and over his shoulder. Swift jumped at the sudden intrusion into his thoughts, and knocked over a dream catcher, its blue feathers flailing in the air as it hit the floor with a bounce. He whirled in his seat to see James Olsen standing there, a CD in hand. "You might want to go get something to wrap that up with, and keep it clean and dry," finished Olsen, giving the man who was a few years older than himself a meaningful, yet sympathetic look. "What happened? How'd you get it?"

Breathing easier after seeing who it was, and that his interest in the burn was more casual and concerned than being suspicious, he let out a slow breath, and lightly touched the burned skin again, hissing. "Yeah, it hurts like hell. Not really bad, but it's tender, to be sure," he replied, glancing up at the Art Director. Shrugging, he chuckled lightly, coming up with a story on the fly. "My next door neighbor is an elderly lady, who has a gas stove. The pilot light in the oven had gone out, and she asked me if I'd light it for her," he began, hoping the story sounded as good out loud as it did in his head.

"Anyway," he continued, "somehow or other, I'd accidentally turned the knob for the oven on while I was trying to get a match lit so I could light the oven. By the time I finally got one, and got it sparked, gas had built up and _whoosh_ fire exploded all over the place, and it got my arm, but good. Luckily it wasn't enough to blow up the house or anything, but I doubt my already tan skin will need any tanning for awhile." He stopped there, hoping James bought it, as he was looking at Swift's arm thoughtfully, before looking back at him.

James chuckled sheepishly and nodded at Swift's little joke. "I didn't think you Native guys really needed much tanning," he said, glancing around Swift's desk, where several mementos and decorations were from his native culture. "You are Native, right? I was thinking I'd seen in your paperwork that you are. Not that it matters, of course. You're very talented. I just don't think we've got another Native American employee here at CatCo," he finished, smiling lightly as he tapped the CD idly against the fingertips of his other hand.

Swift breathed easier, with the conversation going the way it was now. The crisis seemed to be averted. "No, you probably don't. There are not a lot of us in this part of the country, at least not which work in media," he answered, shaking his head. "No, no, you've got it right. I'm Cherokee, actually. I don't think there's more than one or two other Cherokee in the whole city. Some Choctaw or Comanches maybe. And thanks. I just try to be good at what I do, and do a good job. That's all anyone can ask for, right? The chance to be of value and worth?"

James nodded sagely, and chuckled again, handing Swift the disk he had in his hand. "You're doing great. And don't let Cat make you think otherwise. She's the boss, sure, but she needs to polish her people skills a little," he laughed, shaking his head, and then pointing to the disk. "That's the footage from the wreck and the fire. Cat wants us to enhance the video as much as possible, and see if we can get a better look at our mystery guy. See how much luck you can have with it by the end of the day?"

Swift took the disk, and furrowed his brows slightly as James outlined what was on it, and what he wanted him to do. Smiling thinly, Swift nodded, "Thanks, that means a lot. And yeah, I've noticed the boss lady is a little rough around the edges concerning that kind of thing. But sure, I'll get right on it and see what we can't do."

"Thanks," said James, standing back up straight. "Good luck."

After James was gone, Swift put the disk into his drive, and pulled up the video. He was studying it closely, wondering what all he'd be able to do to make it better, but make it where he was still unidentifiable. It was going to be an interesting day.

As Swift had been leaving Kara's desk, a slender, dark haired woman got off the elevator, and walked straight towards Kara's desk. Kara, meanwhile, was so busy sifting through anything that might be even remotely useful to fulfill Cat's demands that she completely zoned out of her super hearing.

Winn, who wasn't so preoccupied, looked up at the familiar face, and smiled, waving lightly as the woman stopped beside Kara's desk, patiently waiting for her to notice her. _Wonder how long_ _ **that's**_ _going to work?_ Winn asked himself mentally. _She doesn't strike me as being the overly patient type. But what do I know about agents of secret government agencies?_

The woman winked at Winn, and waved, then finally leaned forward and said firmly, "Kara!" The woman couldn't help but laugh as it seemed as if Kara leaped ten feet out of her chair at the sudden voice.

The young Kryptonian started, and then looked up at the source of the voice, pushing her glasses back up on her face at the same time. Seeing the woman, she broke into a smile, and immediately leaped from her chair to give the other woman a hug, careful not to make it too tight. "Alex!" she exclaimed, patting her slightly older sister's back fondly, as she released her from the hug. "What are you doing here?" She lowered her voice and made sure no one was looking before she continued in a whisper, "What's going on? Has another alien threat popped up? Another fire or something like that?"

Alex Danvers, agent for the DEO, released her younger sister from the hug, and laughed, shaking her head. "Nothing like that at all. Nothing Earth shattering," she said, suddenly looking over her shoulder, watching Joe Swift head through the maze of offices back towards the graphics department. "Or maybe it is. Who's the hottie with the hair? I've never seen him here before."

Winn's face turned a light scarlet as he listened to the exchange between Kara and her sister. He knew he shouldn't be too upset, as it was Alex, not Kara, that referred to Swift as "a hottie," but he flushed a little, just the same. Besides, it's not like Kara seemed to notice how he felt about her. But as much as he wanted to be something more than simply a friend, or a best friend, to Kara, he was happy that he was at least that much.

Neither sister seemed to notice that Winn's face had flushed a little, even though neither was ignoring him. Kara laughed, and shrugged a shoulder. "Oh, him? That's Joe Swift. He works in the graphics department, it seems. He's pretty new," she answered, then paused, leaning forward conspiratorially. "But yeah, he's a hottie, all right. So, if it's not some dire circumstance, what brings you here, Alex?" She flushed herself a little, more than a little embarrassed that she admitted that, but especially in front of Winn.

Alex smiled, even as Winn sunk lower in his chair, and made himself extremely busy with the stuff he had going on with his computer, and patted Kara's cheek lightly. "I stopped by to ask if you'd like to meet for lunch? It should be a pretty slow day, and I thought maybe you'd enjoy the break." Looking over at Winn, she leaned in closer and tapped his desk with her hand. "You're invited too, Winn. We can make a sister and friend day out of it, at least until you have to return to the axe grinding excitement of this place. What do you say?"

"That's a great idea!" agreed Kara, excitedly putting her hand on Winn's shoulder. "Come on, it'll be fun. Please tell me you're coming along?" She knew that he seemed to get down a lot whenever she'd talk with other people, especially James, so maybe he wouldn't feel left out or lonely if they all went out together. She couldn't stand seeing her best friend depressed or hurting.

Winn, taken by surprise at the invitation, looked up at the sisters, looking back and forth between them. Of all the things that could have been said in this little conversation between Kara and her sister, this was one of the last things he was expecting. He smiled, especially when he realized that no one mentioned James coming along, and nodded, "That'd be great. Thanks Kara, Alex. You're right. It'll be fun. I'll get to know you both a little better." He seemed pretty hyped up about it, and he was nearly dancing at the idea of being with Kara _without_ James around, even if Alex was going to be there. And if Lucy Lane happened to drop by and whisk James off somewhere far away from the three of them, so much the better.

"Wonderful!" said Alex with genuine enthusiasm. "I'll meet you at that little Mexican place on the corner at lunch. See you then guys," she confirmed, and gave Kara another hug, patting her shoulder and almost whispering, "I love you, sis."

"Love you too," answered Kara, returning the hug. She bid Alex by as she left, going into the elevator and disappearing behind its doors. Things were looking a lot better now; she was actually going to have some fun today, so she sat back down.

Looking over at Winn, she smiled and reached over and patted his hand. "Thanks for coming, Winn. It'll be great, and I think you'll have a good time. Alex is wonderful," she gushed, trying to keep that good cheer he seemed to have going.

Winn smiled back at her and nodded in agreement. Truthfully, he was looking forward to this very much. Still no one had mentioned anything about James, and while he liked James, he was still a thorn in Winn's side, no matter how likable he was. Cracking his knuckles with a somewhat comically smug expression, he went back to work, though he was mentally counting the minutes until he was be mostly alone with Kara for an entire lunch break.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The appointed hour finally came, and Winn rapidly put his computer to sleep, and straightened up his desk, as he waited on Kara to do the same. For once, he was actually done before she was, and with her speed, that was saying something. Unable to help but titter a laugh for a second, they both left the office and started walking down the block to the place Alex had mentioned.

As they entered, they were greeted warmly by the hostess. The place was small, unassuming, but it still operated like a much bigger restaurant, showing a particular poise and charm. Alex was already waiting, and the hostess seated them and took their drink orders, and left to prepare them as they looked over the menu.

"Hey, you're early," laughed Kara, sitting down and looking the menu over briefly. "Both you and Winn beat me getting ready today. That could shake a girl's confidence." Laying the menu flat on the table, she leaned in and whispered, "Maybe you guys should be the superheroes, and I'll be the one helping out and telling the tale?"

That got a laugh out of everyone, and Alex flipped her shoulder length hair back out of her face, and whispered back, "I don't think you're in any danger of losing your membership card to the superheroes club, Kara. You just seemed preoccupied with whatever the Cat lady had you working on. When you don't even notice me standing by your desk, I know something's either wrong, or you're really deep into whatever you're doing."

"And, for the record, _I_ noticed," Winn chimed in with a smile, fidgeting with his menu. A little. He still couldn't believe his luck. He'd half expected James to come sashaying up and go with them at the last minute, but they'd managed to get out of the office, and out of the building, without James even being mentioned. "Speaking of what you were working on, Kara, did you manage to find anything that might help?"

Alex smiled warmly and winked at him, leaning back in her seat, the menu folded before her. "Yes, you did, Winn," she said, that hint of laughter coloring her tones a little. "Then again, you look out for my little sister, even when she thinks she doesn't need looking out for. Thanks for that, seriously." She braced herself for the indignant response that remark was almost sure to get from Kara, but it was at that moment that the waitress came back, and took their orders.

Several moments later, with fresh, hot and delicious Mexican food on its way to being prepared for their lunch, Winn finally took the time to respond. "No problem," he said, a smile growing on his face once again. He hadn't smiled this much in a week! "I'm glad to do it, really. Kara's my best friend and...and I couldn't do any less." He'd stammered over what he was going to say, and managed to turn it around, and make it less attached sounding, he thought. Hopefully he'd managed to turn it around in time.

If Kara noticed the hesitation in what he said, she gave no indication of it. She just smiled at him, and then shrugged, taking a sip of her Coke. "Everyone needs looking out for," she said to Alex, keeping her voice low. "Even me. _Especially_ me. I may have super senses, but even I can't be aware of everything all the time. If I didn't have all the people I have looking out for me, like Winn, you, and everyone else, I wouldn't have made it this far, I know that. With the escapees from the Phantom Zone, people like Reactron, and whatever else pops up out there, I would be in big trouble without all of you."

In that moment, Alex was very proud of Kara. She'd always been fiercely independent, but she'd learned to accept help, and realize that she needed the help, whether she wanted help or not. Maybe working with the DEO had done some good, after all. Its not like Kara belligerently refused help before, but she hadn't always taken it easily. Usually she was reluctant, at best. Now, that didn't seem to be the case.

Before Alex could say anything, though, Winn piped up, "It feels good, helping you, and helping to make a difference. It feels good to do some good. To be there when someone needs me, or I should say us." He paused, trying to catch his breath and slow down. _It feels good to be needed by_ _ **you**_ _,_ he thought to himself, momentarily afraid he'd said that last part out loud. When no one gave him a funny look, or said anything, he released his breath in relief.

Alex gave Winn a thoughtful look for a long moment, though, as if she was sizing him up or something and that worried him. Finally, though, she just reached over and covered Kara's hand with her own. "We look out for you because we care about you, Kara. I look out for you because I love you. You're my sister." Kara looked like she was about to say something, so Alex nipped that in the bud, " I know, I know, you came from Krypton, and had other parents, and other family, and mine just adopted you, gave you a place to stay when you had nowhere else to go. But we loved you, and still love you, like you were our own, like our flesh and blood. Never forget that."

The conversation was thankfully quiet, and there were just enough people in the restaurant that made just enough noise that accidental slips that could be overheard weren't. The food came at that moment, and after getting refills, and getting themselves together, the trio started eating. The food was piping hot, and delicious, and compliments on the food were passed around for several moments before the conversation got back on its previous track.

Winn chewed a bite of his enchiladas for a moment, and then looked up. "It's kind of like this, Kara," he said, wiping his mouth where some red sauce had dribbled onto his chin. "You have family. Not family by blood, no. But family because there's a bond, there's love, and acceptance, and commitment. Sometimes that kind of family can be stronger than blood family...like mine. I told you about my dad, Kara, at least that he's a terrible person and in prison. I'll take you guys over my blood family, any day. So, just because they don't share your blood, or whatever, that doesn't make them...make us...any less your family, you know?"

Alex glanced over at Winn once more, with a different look than she usually held. Smiling, she nodded, "You're a smart man, Winn Schott." She took a couple of bites of her carne asada as Kara seemed to be absorbing all this. The mood had gotten much heavier than she'd intended when she asked them to lunch. "So, now that we've had the blah but true conversation, what do you say we talk about something else? Something happier? I didn't invite you guys to a funeral or a dressing down in an officer's office, but to a friendly, happy, who gives a damn lunch."

Everyone agreed, and once again there was laughter and cutting up, until a scream came from a table next to them, and a woman was pointing at a van rapidly approaching. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. The van was speeding down the street at extremely high speeds, and the side panel was open, and the passenger in the front was hanging out the window, firing at something alongside the van.

"Go!" urged Alex fervently, giving her sister's shoulder a push. "We'll be right behind you!" She tossed a wad of bills on the table and grabbed Winn by the upper arm even as Kara suddenly disappeared, though both knew she was moving so fast their eyes couldn't catch the movement.

x

A scream pierced the air, catching Joe Swift's attentions. He was walking down to the sub shop near the CatCo building, to catch a quick lunch. James was right, his arm felt a lot better after he'd dressed it and wrapped it. He whirled towards the mouth of the alley that he was just passing, seeing a young girl, blonde, maybe twelve years old or so, being forced into a van by three men wrestling with her. She was putting up a hell of a fight, but it wasn't doing much good, unfortunately. She lashed out and scratched hard across one masked man's face, eliciting an enraged shout of pain from the man. The man swore loudly, yelled and actually punched the girl hard in the face, causing a red streamer of blood to fly from her nose and mouth.

Swift was already moving rapidly, closing the distance between him and the men in very short time. He didn't know what, exactly, was going on, but it was clear the girl didn't want to go with them, they were masked, and it was a kidnapping of some sort in the works. That's all he needed to know. He could feel that the girl's life was in danger, because the one had hit her, possibly even broken her nose. If she was to be kept alive and in good shape, such a thing would never have happened, and that made the situation all the more urgent.

Without a sound, Swift grabbed the one that hit the girl by the shoulder and yanked him around, plowing his fist into the center of the man's face, then swinging that same fist back in a vicious back fist. The man slammed up against the side of the van, and slid down some, but Swift was already moving towards the next man. He brought up his foot, and kicked hard in a thrusting kick at the juncture of the man's torso and thigh, causing him to yell and his leg to buckle some, and his grip on the girl loosened. Bending low, Swift moved his entire body, forcing both fists into the man's abdomen at once, knocking him back several feet and onto his ass on the ground.

By this time, the first man had regained his footing, and even angrier at the new wound, slammed a tire iron he'd grabbed from the bed of the van, aiming for Swift's head. The iron struck his shoulder and back, and hit his head hard enough that he saw stars. The first kidnapper swung the iron at him again three or four times while he was down, striking hard over back, ribs and shoulder. "Get in the van!" he bellowed to his two accomplices, and they all scrambled into the van, which was already running. "Get us the hell out of here!" the man yelled once more.

Just as the driver was slamming the accelerator to the floor, and the tires were spinning, trying to get purchase on the pavement, Swift got up and leaped at the van, grabbing hold of the seat leg, and held on for dear life as the van rocketed out of the alley and tore down the street a high velocity, and weaving dangerously. The man in the back with the girl, who was crying hysterically and screaming, pulled a gun and prepared to shoot Swift, while kicking him hard several times, trying to dislodge him.

The kidnapper's foot connected with Swift's side, getting a grunt of pain out of him where the tire iron had already bruised, and probably broken, some ribs, but he held on tenaciously, reaching out to grab the kidnapper's supporting leg, and pulled it right out from under him. The kidnapper hit the steel bed of the van hard, knocking the wind out of him, as Swift was dragged down the street. His arm was on fire where he was holding on, and his shins and feet were burning like crazy from the friction burns of being dragged on the street.

"Shoot the bastard!" yelled the driver, swerving the van again to miss a car, narrowly, as it rushed down the street recklessly. He spun the wheel again and again, finding racing against traffic to be a difficult prospect.

The passenger pulled out a gun and hung himself out the window, trying to get a clear shot at Swift's dragging form. Between the van swerving unexpectedly, and Swift's attempts at dodging, the first two bullets missed, but the third exploded through Swift's thigh. He yelled in pain and almost let go, but managed to hang on somehow. The pain in his leg was searing and overpowering, but he refused to let go. Throwing a clumsy punch at the kidnapper in the back, who was foolishly moving forward to try and club him again, his fist met with the kidnapper's face, and knocked him backwards into the far wall. Hurting like hell, Swift felt at least a flicker of satisfaction at that.

x

Kara shed her outer clothes rapidly as she ran out the back door of the restaurant. She was moving far too fast for anyone to see anything but a blur, and she concealed her clothes in a safe place, all while removing them and running. Taking to the sky, she whirled in mid air and streaked towards the van racing down the street. Focusing her eyes on the van's roof, she allowed her x ray vision to come into focus, and almost as if the metal of the van's roof was peeling away, she could see the young girl cowering in the corner. She was crying, screaming, but otherwise unhurt and was being ignored by the kidnappers, who were trying to deal with the person hanging out the side door.

Hearing the third shot ring out, and the growl of pain from the main hanging out of the van, she increased her speed significantly, a loud crack sounding around her as she did so. Flying around to the front of the van, she put her hands on the hood, and almost pushed, but realized that would be like striking a concrete wall and would probably kill everyone inside.

Changing her tactics, she let the van carry her back as she focused her gaze once more, this time intensifying it, as twin bursts of pure heat and light flashed from her eyes, through the hood of the van, and welded the cam shaft of the van's engine in place. The engine instantly stopped moving, therefore stopped propelling the van forward, even as the entire vehicle creaked its defiance. Gradually easing the van, now simply coasting, to a stop, which only took a couple of seconds, she zipped to the side of the van, ripping the passenger door off, and dropping it, sending one kidnapper clumsily falling out of the vehicle.

She lifted her left forearm against the man in the back, who was swinging the tire iron again at the man hanging out the door, only to feel it stop much more suddenly and abruptly than he figured. The steel bar folded over Supergirl's forearm like putty, and she reached out, grabbed him by the shirt, and lifted him quickly upwards, smacking his head against the roof of the van, and rendering him unconscious. Dropping him on the floor of the van, she called out at the driver, attempting to open his door and flee, "Stop right where you are, and this doesn't have to be painful. Run, and I can't make any promises."

Looking at both the girl and the man now loosening his grip on the seat leg, since the van was no longer moving, she asked, "Are you both all right? I'll get you to a hospital mister. Those wounds will need to be taken care of as soon as possible."

The girl nodded emphatically, and inched closer to the door and the man, whose face was obscured by a mass of tangled long, dark hair, nodded. Suddenly, the girl screamed, and her finger shot up like a rocket, pointing behind Supergirl. "Supergirl, look out!"

The passenger was up again, and fired his last four bullets at Supergirl, which bounced harmlessly away, feeling like a mosquito bite to the young Kryptonian, if that. When that failed, he went to club the Girl of Steel with his gun, only to find his hand caught in an impossibly sturdy grip as her hand closed around his wrist, and lifted him off the ground with absolutely no effort. The Daughter of Krypton patted the top of his head hard enough to render him unconscious, and let him slide to the pavement.

The creaking of the van door opening suddenly caught her attention, and with astounding speed, zipped around the van and in front of the fleeing criminal, stopping in front of him with a determined look. "I advised you not to run, Smart Boy," she said with almost a laugh. "When are you guys ever going to learn that it won't work?" Raising her hand, as he kept moving towards her, though he was trying to slow down and change direction, she thumped his forehead lightly, and made sure the impact wouldn't really hurt him. Instead, it propelled him backwards, sliding on his back on the pavement about twelve feet, and rendered him unconscious as his compatriots.

Ripping free a strip from the top of the van's roof, she gathered the three kidnappers together, back to back, and wrapped the metal around them, making an effective makeshift containment device, at least until the police arrived. They were out like lights anyway, so she wasn't very worried.

Wiping her hands against one another as she stood, Supergirl looked up at the rescued pair, and said, "Well, that ought to—" She stopped in mid sentence as the young girl launched herself at the Girl of Steel, embracing her tightly, still sobbing. The young Kryptonian didn't know what to do, exactly. This had never happened to her before.

"Thank you, Supergirl, thank you so much!" said the girl in a muffled tone, her face buried against Supergirl's shoulder. Her tears were staining the blue uniform with a huge wet spot, but she hadn't noticed, and Supergirl didn't seem to mind. All she knew is that she was safe. "You saved my life! You, and this man here! Gosh, I don't even know his name..." she released the young superheroine to look back at the man, who was sitting down in the doorway of the now useless van, wrapping a strip of his shirt around his leg to stop the bleeding.

The man looked up, smiled weakly, and shook his head. "Don't mention it, kid. Seriously. All I did was keep them busy until Supergirl could get here. Anybody would've done it." He looked up again, this time at Supergirl, and chuckled. "It's an honor to meet you, Supergirl. I just wish it hadn't been under such terrible and embarrassing circumstances."

"No, anybody _couldn't_ have done it!" exclaimed the girl and Supergirl in stereo, like they'd been rehearsing it. The girl glanced at Supergirl, and then continued, sitting down beside the man. "And not just anybody would have done it, either. You don't know me from anyone, you've never met me before, I'm a perfect stranger, and you risked your life for me, you got shot..." She trailed off, looking at his wound, and then suddenly hugged him, only not as tightly as she had Supergirl. "Thank you," she said, her voice finally calming some, as the sound of sirens grew much closer. "Thank you so much." She gave his cheek a soft, but meaningful, kiss, pouring every ounce of gratefulness she possessed into the gesture.

The police pulled up and took the kidnappers into custody, and began taking statements from everyone who witnessed the event, or were involved. Supergirl could see Alex and Winn on the edges of the crowd, both giving her congratulatory smiles. Finally, before the police could get to Swift, she said, "Officers, I'm taking this man to the hospital to get his leg taken care of. I'm sure you can get your statements from him afterwards."

Moving towards him, she lifted him gingerly from the van and smiled, speaking quietly, "It's an honor to meet you too, sir." It was a gentle reminder that he hadn't introduced himself, without being too obvious.

The young girl, whose name was Cassie, never got his name, either, but she didn't seem concerned with that right then. She gave him another hug and asked him to please get in touch with her when he could, and gave him her address and phone number on a slip of paper.

"Are you ready?" Supergirl asked, after he'd gotten the request from Cassie, and the police were beginning to seem a little antsy. She didn't like sticking around longer than she had to, either. She was already very late getting back to work, and if Cat noticed, there'd be hell to pay.

Swift nodded, looking into her face for a moment. Without another word, they lifted off into the air, high above the ground in a matter of seconds, and then began flying rapidly towards National City General Hospital. As they touched down outside the emergency department, he sighed, "Its Swift. Joe Swift," he said, looking at her and taking her face in. She was beautiful, smart, strong, good hearted, the kinds of things you rarely find in people in this day and age. He shook his head lightly to shake those thoughts away before they became all he thought of.

As the medics came out and put him in a wheelchair and wheeled him in to see about the bullet wound, Supergirl decided what the hell and went along with him. She wanted to learn a little more before she left. She hoped Winn would cover for her until she could get back.

Now sitting in a chair across from where he sat on the table, she folded her cape across her lap and smiled, "So, Mr. Swift, what possessed you to decide to start doing this?" She indicated the outside, and by extension the misadventure with the van. It should make for an interesting tale, if he chose to tell it.

"I've always wanted to help people, to be a better person than what I am, or most are, most of the time," he replied, gingerly moving his leg. "I grew up in a bad neighborhood in Gotham City. Crime runs rampant there, no matter what the police do. And even Batman and his partners can't get rid of all of it. As much as they frighten criminals and put them away, there's always someone looking to do illegal deeds to come out on top."

He paused for a moment, and regarded her. He wasn't sure what sort of reaction he was expecting, but since it didn't seem to be bad, he continued, "When I was about twelve, I lost my dad. He worked for a small company next to this really neat little bar and grill. The place was owned by a guy that wasn't exactly dirty, but he put the pinch on dirty guys, either purposefully or accidentally, I never knew which. There was a drive by one night, aiming to kill the bar guy. My dad was on his way to the car. He never knew what was happening, until he was already bleeding out. Things got tough after that, more dangerous. I started working odd jobs, staying away from crooks, and was often out late, trying to make money for us to survive. One night, my mom was killed by a home invader, looking for jewels, money, anything worth anything. I was sixteen at the time."

His voice had gone quiet, and he stared at the wound as the doctor removed the bullet and sewed it up. Luckily, it hadn't hit the bone, though it was surprising it wasn't a through and through. Wincing as the last stitch was put in, he shrugged, "Batman and his pals were, of course, big on the news. I'd always admired them, the fact that they stood for what was right, when the police were afraid to, or were too crooked to. So, taking their example as inspiration, I began taking self defense, martial arts, marksmanship, anything I could to help keep myself alive, and anybody I came across who couldn't fend for themselves. I didn't want to see anybody losing what I'd lost, kid or adult, it didn't matter. I didn't want to see anyone suffering at the hands of criminals interested in nothing but money.

"When I got out of high school, I went to college, and married my high school sweetheart. It was a chance for me to finally be happy. To make something of my life, you know? Halfway through school, she got pregnant, and before semester's end, we had a little girl. Beautiful little thing, she was. Like her mother, she was my world." His voice got very quiet again, and his eyes remained down on his leg. "We'd been together five years. Diana was almost four. I'd had a few close scrapes, but I was doing good. I was helping. One of the guys whose drug deals I helped go south got a description, and recognized me. So he had his boys come over, kidnap all of us, and he and his guys beat me almost to death. Then he personally tortured my wife and daughter, doing evil, terrible things to them, unspeakable things, and made me watch every terrible minute of it. In the end, he finally killed them, and it was a mercy. But he didn't do it because he was feeling merciful. He wanted me to know he was in absolute charge."

Supergirl listened without a word, her face showing the horror she was feeling at Swift's story. Her knuckles had gone white more than once, and she'd destroyed the chair she was sitting in by squeezing it in her fist. Her heart went out to Swift, realizing that people often conceal the most terrible things behind the most pleasant of faces.

Forcing his breathing under control, he finished, "So, after a couple of years of living in that house, and trying to get by, and trying to help others, I couldn't get what happened out of my mind. Every car, every building, every dog and cat, child and person in the city, they all reminded me of what had happened, what I'd lost. So, I couldn't take it anymore, and decided to move. National City seemed like a good place. Quieter, less crime, less corruption, and different. Very different. So I moved here and put my education to work again. I'd fallen apart at my old jobs, and though they gave me good references, I know the time I was there was not a good thing."

The doctor coming back with a prescription and papers interrupted them. He was free to go, and he gave him instructions for the care of the wound, and what to do if this or that happened. Finally, he and Supergirl were walking out of the hospital.

"Joe," she said, looking up at him, her gaze having been on the ground for a time. "I can take you home, since you obviously have no way here. It's no trouble." She turned more fully towards him, and gripped his shoulder lightly. "Do this for me, okay? Remember, you _are_ a good man, and you _do_ make a difference. Cassie's alive because of your courage and unflinching bravery. I don't mean jump into every bad situation you come across, especially if they're really dangerous, but know that not everyone has your heart."

He could read between the lines, and he appreciated Supergirl's faith in him, her belief. And she was right, if something was really dangerous, he should leave it to someone like her. He just never thought. When he saw trouble, and danger, he reacted, without taking time to consider if it was dangerous or not.

"I think I can do that, or at least try," he answered finally, a rueful smile on his face. "I'll try and do better at it, for sure. Thank you for everything, for listening, for the rides, for saving my bacon. I can't repay it fully, I know, but if there's anything I can ever do, you have but to say the word. It'll be done."

A brief ride later, she was helping him sit in his own living room, near the bay window. Once she was satisfied he was settled, she smiled, "I appreciate that, Joe. I really do. I should be going, though. I'm sure there's someone somewhere that could use a hand, and since you're down for the count for a couple of days, I guess it's up to me to take up the slack." She winked playfully at him, and opened the front door, standing in it.

"Yeah, I don't guess you've got a nose to the grindstone job like we humans do. I've always wondered what you do all day, when you're not out saving lives. I guess you're just somewhere else saving them," he laughed, and gave her a wave. "Thanks again. I'd say be careful, but its not often you have to. See you around."

Supergirl said farewell and leaped into the sky, disappearing in mere seconds. At the window, Joe Swift stared at the last place he'd seen her, and his mind was working rapidly. _You said not everyone had my heart,_ he thought, his eyes still where Supergirl had been. _You were right, they don't. But if anyone could catch it or get it, it just might be you. I know that's not what you meant, and I stand as much chance of catching yours as I do of winning the lottery on Pluto...do they have a lottery on Pluto? But that's the feeling anyway._

x

Kara rushed back through the office to her desk, casting a look at Cat's office through the clear glass wall separating her from the rest of the people. She seemed busily reading something, and her face wasn't twisted in fury. That was a good sign.

Breathing an audible sigh of relief, she turned back towards where Winn was sitting once again, and Alex was sitting in a spare chair. They both looked at her expectantly, and excitedly.

"Are you all right? They had the story on the news, but the details were a little spotty," said Alex in rushed, hushed tones. Though she probably didn't really have a reason to worry, she would all the same. The price for having a sister that cares.

Winn was practically hopping in his seat, and he rubbed his hands together anxiously. "Well?" he asked. "Did you find out who the mystery hero is? He was the guy hanging out of the van, wasn't he? Is he some kind of nut case, or is he cool? What was he like? And the kidnappers were actually dumb enough to think they'd get away with kidnapping Cassie Lockwood, daughter of one of the richest families in National City? Are they nuts?"

The rush of questions took Kara off guard for a few seconds, and after a couple of breaths, she leaned in very conspiratorially, "I'm fine, Alex, I promise. Run of the mill kidnapping attempt, actually. Well, except for the guy trying to stop them." Turning towards Winn, she drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Actually...yes. I found out who he is, and he was the guy hanging out of the van, yes."

"That's great!" exclaimed Winn in a valiant effort to keep his voice low. He was practically bursting with energy right then. "That means you can give the news to Miss Grant, she can run the story, scoop everyone else, and she might actually be happy! Not to mention we all might benefit financially from it if she's feeling generous. Wait, scratch that. Cat's _never_ feeling generous, unless it involves the pain and torture of small life forms, like employees."

Alex noticed Kara's reticence, though, and frowned. Laying a hand on Kara's upper arm, she tilted her head and asked, "What is it, Kara? What's wrong?" Despite having good news, the look on her face told Alex that something was very, very wrong.

Kara waited a moment, just breathing. Looking both her sister and Winn in the face, back and forth, she finally uttered, "I don't think he wants anyone knowing, and I didn't ask if I could say anything. Besides, he's gone through enough. He doesn't want the media attention being exposed would bring, and frankly I can't blame him. So all I have to do is figure out what I'm going to tell Miss Grant."

Alex and Winn both considered this for a moment, Alex tapping her chin in thought. Kara was right, and more, she'd respect the guy's wishes, no matter what, because she gave her word. Even if it was just implied. He trusted her, so she was obligated to deserve and honor that trust, to Kara's way of thinking, anyway. She sighed, hoping her sister wasn't going to find herself in too hot of water.


	4. Chapter 3

**AN** – Sorry I haven't updated in so long, guys. Life's been a little crazy and I haven't had much time to sit down and write. So hopefully this chapter will make up for that. Feel free to share any thoughts, criticisms (as long as they're constructive and not mean!) or opinions on the story. Thank you for reading

 **Chapter 3**

"Kara!" Cat's voice rang out through the offices, mangling the pronunciation of her name yet again, as she always did. From the look on her face where she sat at her desk, it looked very much like she was in a bitchy mood. If Kara was lucky.

"Oh, boy," murmured Kara as she stood up, glancing over her shoulder at her boss through the glass walls, and then back to her sister and Winn. Despite the fact that she was, in fact, Kryptonian, and could throw the entire building across the city, with some exertion and effort, she felt completely vulnerable and powerless at that moment.

Alex looked up at her as she stood, and reached over to touch her arm. "Just tell her the truth, Kara. With as few details as possible," she advised, wishing she could do more. She didn't see Kara like this very often, and when she did, it was disturbing.

"Yeah," chimed in Winn, in a low voice. "Remember, Supergirl might have seen him just fine, and talked to him, and whatnot, but Kara was just an observer. A comparatively distant observer," he followed up with, glancing at Alex to see if she thought that was a good way to go about it. Apparently, she did, because she nodded when he said it.

The young blonde drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Right," she muttered as she turned and headed into the office with as much urgency and expediency as she could muster. Once inside, she answered as she usually did whenever Cat bellowed - _Called, I mean she called,_ Kara thought - and then said aloud, "Yes, Miss Grant?"

The Queen of All Media rose from her desk with that incisive, brooding half glare she often gave, and put a hand on her hip, as if waiting expectantly. After almost two full minutes, and Kara had said nothing more, she finally spoke, "Kara, you were at the scene of the attempted kidnapping of Cassie Lockwood this afternoon, weren't you?" Her manner was particularly snippy, even compared to her normal, as she sipped from her coffee cup and put it on the desk, moving around it towards Kara.

Nervously, Kara pushed her glasses back up on her face, and fidgeted for a moment with the planner she had in her hands. Clearing her throat audibly, she made two false starts before she could finally manage, "Yes, Miss Grant. It all happened not far from where Winn, my sister and I were having lunch."

Cat regarded her with a scorching gaze, and for a moment, Kara was sure she was going to launch into a quietly spoken, but particularly snarky bombardment of her for being incompetent, perpetually confused, or whatever other descriptor she'd choose to use today. Cat drew a breath and continued, "Both Supergirl and our mystery hero were there, as well. Here is the million dollar question: did you get a good look at our mystery man?" Her tone remained the same, but she was watching Kara's every move like a hawk, every facial tic.

 _This is where it gets sticky,_ thought Kara nervously. _How does Kal do this every day?_ She stalled as much as she could, clearing her throat, readjusting her glasses, and shifting her weight from foot to foot. "To be honest, Miss Grant," she began slowly, trying to anticipate the most likely reaction from her boss. "I got about as good a look at him today as I did before. There was so much going on, and the van was largely in the way. Then the crowd of onlookers, the whole scene was so chaotic I really didn't get a chance to see anything. He was injured, shot I think, and before anybody could talk to him, Supergirl flew him away."

Cat's face changed at this bit of news. What she'd heard from the reporters she'd sent to the scene was that he got out of the area quickly, but they had been unaware that Supergirl had helped him make good his escape. She looked decidedly slyer than before, even a little devious. This worried Kara.

Cat tapped her cheek with the pen she was holding. "So, Supergirl flew him away from the scene," she said slowly, beginning to walk around the front of her desk with the same speed. "Then Supergirl obviously got a good look at him, and very possibly knows who he is..." She trailed off a little there, and all was silent for a couple of moments.

Suddenly whirling, Cat stabbed a call button on the intercom system. After a moment, James' voice came across the speaker, "Art Department, Olsen here." His tone was professional, but it was obvious he was working on something because she knew his tone would probably be slightly different if he knew it was Cat calling him.

"James..." Cat began, dragging his name out a little longer than necessary, as one does when one is deep in thought. "I need something very, very important from you. I need you to get in touch with our mutual friend in the lovely red skirt, and arrange a sit down with her for me, _immediately_. This is not an 'I'll call her on my lunch break' kind of request. This is a 'Why are you still talking to me, instead of getting in touch with her' request." Both James and Kara knew it wasn't a request of any sort. It was an order, or a demand, at best.

On the other end, James sounded as if he were about to say something, stopped, tried again, then finally drew a breath and let it out slowly. "Okay, Miss Grant. I'll see what I can do. I can ask her, but that doesn't guarantee she'll say yes. And I, for one, am in no position to try and aggressively persuade her, if you follow me. Like her cousin, she's her own person, and while all for helping, she responds to a kind request a lot better than a demand." James sounded very neutral, which Kara knew he had to be, especially since he knew chances were she was right there in the office, which, of course, she was.

Sighing in exasperation, Cat fumed mildly, which was unusual for Cat. "Fine," she said with a hint of aggravation in her voice. "Just get to it, please. In the time you've taken to explain that, you could have already reached her and given her the request." With that, she closed the channel, and turned back to Kara.

Kara had been listening to everything, of course, and she had more than a good idea of what Cat wanted, and why. This was definitely going to be tricky, she knew that already.

Cat was in full blown giving orders mode, though, so her thoughts were interrupted. "Kara, make sure the terrace is clear, and well appointed. That's probably where she'll come when she gets here. What do Kryptonians drink, anyway? Get the good bottled water, a variety of juices, and something to snack on, just in case she's hungry or munchy. I imagine flying around like she does burns a lot of calories, if her body even uses calories. Might want to get soda too, just in case, though she doesn't strike me as the Diet Coke kind of girl," she droned on, as if she was dictating notes.

Kara made note of everything Cat was saying, pushing her glasses back up her nose, where they'd started slipping down. "Yes, Miss Grant," she answered, hurriedly checking her notes and in her mind already ticking off the people she'd have to call to get these things done. "Will there be anything else?"

Cat paused and frowned slightly, in thought. Finally, she waved her hand as she shook her head lightly. "No, that's all for right now," she answered distractedly as she sat back down. "But stay close at hand, in case something else comes up. The conversation with Supergirl notwithstanding, this mystery guy is a hot news item, and we've got to be ready to pounce with any and every detail we can get."

"Yes, Miss Grant," repeated Kara hurriedly. She was being dismissed, and she couldn't wait to get out of that office. She could practically smell the trouble that would be coming.

Cat was already deep into whatever she was working on, and had either forgotten Kara was there, or was studiously choosing to ignore her, each of which was equally possible, Kara knew from experience. Wasting no more time, she exited the office with not a little haste.

X

"What do you think is going on in there?" asked Winn for about the fifth time since Kara had gone into Cat's office. The young man was absently playing with one of his collectibles, a multi jointed action figure of the Central City hero called the Flash, about six inches or so tall. His fingers manipulated the many reticulated joints repeatedly. He was obviously anxious and nervous.

Alex took her eyes from her sister's form in her boss' office, and regarded Winn once more. It was obvious how Winn felt about Kara, she thought, watching him for a moment. _Obvious to everybody_ _ **but**_ _Kara,_ she amended, sitting back up straight once again. "It looks like Cat's giving several orders to me," she replied finally, shrugging. "Kara's writing things down. It doesn't look like Cat's badgering her into telling her anything, though I'm sure she asked Kara about it. We couldn't exactly hide that we were there, being seen on the midday news, of course. So whatever Kara might have told her, it looks like she bought it."

"At least for now," Winn finished for her, sighing lightly. "Cat won't stop there, though. Cat _never_ stops when she wants to know something." He replaced the Flash action figure in its spot, running across his desk under his main monitor, still looking worried.

"Boy, isn't _that_ the truth," said a voice behind them both. Alex and Winn both turned to see a rather harried looking James Olsen standing there. Apparently he had overheard the last couple of comments. "Cat wants a face to face with Supergirl...to ask her about the kidnapping attempt and the mystery guy. _Like two hours ago_ kind of wants. I'm supposed to be arranging that meeting right now, actually."

"Kara won't tell her anything," said Alex with more than a hint of certainty. "Though it wasn't expressly given, as far as Kara's concerned, she gave her word to this guy, whoever he is, that she wouldn't reveal anything about him, unless he said it was okay. She won't budge on that. Cat can yell and scream and bitch until pigs fly backwards, Kara _will_ keep her word, even if that was only implied." She glanced back towards the office again, and then at her two companions for a moment. "She's stubborn as hell. Believe me, I know."

Winn nodded in agreement with Alex. In all the time he'd known Kara, that was one of the first things he noticed. Though she had such a soft and mild disposition, unusually optimistic and hopeful, she had principles, and she would stick to those principles regardless of whatever it might conflict with. She was a woman of her word, and felt that your words should mean as much, and be as dependable as your actions.

James chuckled, but with a limited degree of humor in it. "Yeah, I've kind of figured that out about her. She reminds me a lot of Kal," he said. Though the entire conversation was being conducted very quietly, and though he'd accidentally let slip to Winn and Alex a few weeks ago Superman's Earth identity, he was careful to use only his Kryptonian name at the moment, just in case. "Krypton must have had mules too, because they both do perfect imitations."

"Here she comes," said Alex suddenly, her body language changing all of a sudden, becoming more businesslike. As Winn and James looked up, they understood why. Kara's face was anything but jovial.

X

Joe Swift moved through the main bullpen office of CatCo silently, picking up some information he needed to help sift through identifying some of the footage on the disc that James had given him before. He was aware of James, his immediate superior, being here, talking with the IT guy, Winn or something like that. He was pretty sure it was Winn. They were also talking to a brunette he'd never seen before, and that he was pretty sure didn't work there, or at least not on that floor.

 _Wait, that's not exactly true,_ he thought, when he moved where he got a better look at the brunette's face. _She was at the scene when Supergirl stopped the van, and that whole sack of crazy went down. I recognize her now._ Curious, he watched them all for several moments, just picking up little details as he watched.

He'd stopped paying so much attention to James and Winn, not that they weren't important, they just had less to do with things than what this woman did. _She could be a reporter, but I doubt it. She looks like she knows how to handle herself far too well to be a reporter. Detective, maybe? Military? Some sort of government agency, possibly?_ Swift was genuinely puzzled. The fact she was actually quite attractive made guessing her background all that more challenging. He usually picked up on things like that very quickly, but this young woman was a mystery. _Whoever she is, and whoever she works for, its a foregone conclusion that her being there wasn't simply an accident and right place at the right time kind of thing._

Though not doing so intentionally, he overheard the last sentence or two the trio spoke. James referred to someone named "Kal," and they were presumably talking about the kidnapping event, and his role in that, though they didn't know it was him. He'd heard someone once or twice refer to Superman, from Metropolis, as "Kal El," which presumably was his actual name. _Who wants to be the nurse who has to write "Superman" on the birth certificate, right?_ Since James Olsen was famously from Metropolis, and commonly called "Superman's Pal," it was almost certain he was talking about Superman. And Supergirl, also from Krypton, wearing the same symbol one could logically think she was somehow related to Superman in some way. Maybe actual family, maybe some sort of association, but in some way connected.

So, if they were talking about Superman, and most likely Supergirl, they were probably talking about the kidnapping attempt, and the mystery guy that just happened to be him. If he understood what was being said correctly, the boss apparently wanted to get a hold of Supergirl and ask her about him, but these guys thought she wouldn't do it. Superman had a very well known reputation for being highly principled and having great integrity, and no small amount of honor about him. Everything he'd seen or heard suggested the exact same thing about Supergirl. So it looked like it was going to be a battle of wills between the snarky multimedia mogul and the Girl of Steel. He decided he didn't want to be a bookie laying odds on that particular match up. Cat had a reputation of her own, and duly earned, and while she wasn't dishonest, underhanded or dishonorable, she wasn't exactly known for being a Girl Scout, either. Cat wasn't the type to blatantly break rules and laws by any means, but she would damned sure bend the hell out of them until almost the point of snapping.

Glancing over, he noticed Cat's assistant, the pretty blonde girl, Kara, coming out of her office. She didn't look particularly thrilled, so that suggested something bad was in play. On the bright side of things, though, judging from what little of the conversation he'd inadvertently overheard, Supergirl wouldn't give him up, and that made him feel a little better. He gathered what he'd come from, and headed back to his office.

X

Kara headed for her desk, near which she saw Alex was still there, Winn of course was there, and James was there. She knew what the look on his face was for. He had, after all, been tasked with getting her to meet face to face with Cat.

Heading back towards the Art Department, she saw the retreating form of Joe Swift. It couldn't be anyone else, not built like that with that hair. He didn't seem too much the worse for wear. He was limping around some, but the doctor had said the bullet wound had been a clean through and through. _It feels kind of odd knowing who he is, but him not having a clue who I am,_ she thought as she stopped at her desk.

Keeping his voice low, James leaned in slightly. "You know I'm supposed to try to convince Supergirl to meet with Cat, right?" he asked quietly. Though he was sure she had been in the office during that conversation, he figured it never hurt to be sure.

Kara nodded without saying anything, putting the pad with her notes down on her desk. After a few moments, during which all three of the others watched her in concern, she sighed, speaking softly, "Give her the word I'll do it. At nine, on the terrace. Stress to her I won't be able to stay long. I've got pressing business in a case I'm working."

James nodded softly, "Sure thing, Kara. Are you going to be okay? I know this struggle, between your commitment to your job, and the commitment to your principles has got to be wearing on you." Concern showed in the faces of all three of them.

"I'll be fine," Kara answered quietly. Reaching over, she took Alex's hand in hers, then Winn's in the other hand, and looked up at James. "I have the three of you in my corner. Its awfully hard to go wrong in that case."

X

Maxwell Lord put down the wrench he'd been using on his latest device, and looked at it, his hand half covering his mouth in thought. He'd gone to great, great lengths to arrange for the materials for the business end of this little project. It was a drone, similar to the one that had plagued Supergirl at his command, only this one was much more agile, more durable, sleeker, and it carried a very expensive but satisfying payload.

Though he hated her as he did, he had to concede she was no idiot. The Kryptonian was smart, there was no doubts about that in his mind. She knew how to adapt, and that could be potentially dangerous in most situations, unless you eliminate that ability to adapt, which is part of what the design of this particular drone was all about.

It didn't matter that she was smart, or that she was beautiful, or that she displayed great virtues and integrity. What mattered is that she was an alien, and that made her dangerous, a huge threat, and a very large thorn in his side. The fact she was born light years away on an alien world, and simply by the virtue of coming to this planet, she gained these amazing super powers she could barely control, that's largely what made her such a thorn.

All her people, of which the world was learning there was an alarmingly larger number of them than had been previously estimated, could become virtual gods simply by coming to Earth and staying there a short time. Max estimated that their power had something to do with a combination of the solar energies the sun emitted, and the specific gravity of the world itself in some odd juncture. They were like batteries. They could store energy and use it at will, but if you taxed them long enough and hard enough, eventually those batteries would deplete, and then you'd simply have to strike.

Besides, all these virtual gods and goddesses just got in his way. If any being on Earth was going to proclaim themselves, though either word or deed, as a virtual god, it was going to be Maxwell Lord. He was from Earth, he was born, lived and breathed there, he made his mark in the world with his genius, and he was the most fit to take over the world and rule it. No one else could really make this claim. Even Lex Luthor, the cunning genius billionaire businessman and scientist from Metropolis, couldn't claim the kind of stake in the Earth that he could. No, Earth belonged to Maxwell Lord. Everyone else lived there only at his whim and pleasure.

Going back to work, he picked up the first casing of several, heavy with lead content, and began carefully installing them into the drone. Four of them were lead boxes with actuators that would explosively propel darts of glowing green crystal, Kryptonite, with horrifying force. Being fragments of Supergirl's home world, and being radioactive, the substance had been proven to be effective in weakening the Girl of Steel, possibly even killing her if done right.

The next two were larger, and these had an aerosol dispersal system, far stronger than any industrial dispersal system currently available. They would distribute a highly potent, highly toxic Kryptonite gas, which would infiltrate Supergirl's lungs, mucous membranes, and other tissues, including her very skin, and kill her painfully. Max couldn't help but smile to himself about that particular thought. The sooner the world was rid of these aliens, the sooner Max could relax and think about ruling.

Finally, Max installed the final four. These boxes contained refractive crystals capable of producing and projecting lethal Kryptonite charged lasers with particles in the beam of the deadly substance. With these three systems in place on this drone, and the few others like it produced just in case, he should finally be able to achieve his goal.

Standing back and surveying his work, he ran diagnostics on the units, and all checked out flawlessly. His smile broadened. He was very happy at the moment. His time of pandering to and pretending to go along with the various law enforcement and government agencies in their support of the alien threat was very, very rapidly coming to a close. A cold smile graced his lips as he envisioned his deadly machines emerging triumphant.

Chuckling to himself, he glanced at the TV, where a piece on Supergirl and this mystery person saving the kidnapped girl was playing, and he spoke softly, "Always treat a pretty girl to the whole spread. And that's exactly what I'm going to do, Supergirl. That's exactly what I'm going to do."


	5. Chapter 4

**AN** – Please feel free to review, leave comments, tell me what you liked or didn't like. By letting me know, I can become a better writer. Thank you for reading!

 **Chapter 4**

It was nearing time for the face to face meeting with Supergirl, and Cat was busily pacing the terrace, as she usually did before settling in with details for a good story. Her adrenaline was spiking just thinking about getting the scoop, from the horse's mouth no less, on this faceless mystery man that was risking life and limb to save the people of National City. Checking her watch for what was probably the thousandth time, it was still a few minutes before nine. With a groan, Cat returned to her pacing, now and then glancing over the wall of the terrace to look at the skyline, searching for that red cape.

The wind rushed through Supergirl's blonde locks as she sped towards the CatCo tower, and Cat Grant's terrace. As she neared the building, she slowed, coming to hover perhaps twelve feet above the terrace. "Good evening, Miss Grant," she said seriously, trying to keep her face more serious, as she usually did as Supergirl, and not as relaxed and cheerful as she did as Kara. "James Olsen said you wished to speak with me?"

Cat nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the voice, but that was just a reflex. Turning, she smiled, or at least it was a smile for Cat Grant anyway, and waved Supergirl down. "Yes, I do," she answered, trying to make herself as professional as possible. "Please, come down. I know you're busy, but you've got at least time for a quick refreshment and a short conversation. Your super speed will more than allow you to make up for lost time, with whatever it is you're working on."

Supergirl seemed to be thinking about it a moment, and then slowly descended to the ground, her red booted feet touching the floor of the terrace lightly. Regarding Cat seriously, she frowned slightly. "This isn't about that idea that you had that your assistant and I are one in the same, is it? If so, I really don't have time for that sort of thing. There's much more pressing matters requiring my attention than you trying to guess 'who I really am,' as if I even have such a thing," she casually remarked, trying as hard as she could to make Supergirl very different and very distinct from Kara Danvers, because Cat had proven she knew her far better than Kara originally thought.

Cat was waving her hand and shaking her head adamantly. "No, no, no," she said with not a little aggravation in her tone. "I realized just how silly that was when the two of you were here on the terrace at the same time. I don't know _what_ I could've been thinking. What I wa—wait, are you telling me that you _don't_ have some sort of 'secret identity' that you use to blend into our society?" From her tone, she clearly wasn't buying that one, it seemed like.

Supergirl cracked a smile, and shook her head, taking the orange juice that Cat was offering her and taking a drink of it as she sat down on the comfortable couch. "That's right. I'm who you see, day and night. I live in a secret location, and operate from there as well." She took another drink, hoping to plant a seed in Cat's mind with this little line of talk. Swallowing, she continued, "I'm Kryptonian. I have super strength, super speed, super hearing, and so on. If I were to try and pretend to be human, I'd constantly be ripping doors off their hinges, accidentally throwing cars across the block if I happened to bump into one, and I'd go nuts with all the sounds around me. I can block them out for short periods of time, but not on a prolonged basis. There's no way I could have enough control to appear human for any length of time. That'd be more taxing than flying around, dealing with all the trouble that seems to spring up."

Cat seemed to digest all of that, and be mulling it over in her mind. Cat had a particular thoughtful face, and she was wearing it right then. Finally, growing curious, she asked, "And too, that's why no mask, right? I mean Green Arrow in Star City wears a mask, Batman in Gotham City wears a mask, the Flash from Central City wears a mask, and so forth. But you let everyone see your face." She grew quiet and thoughtful about that for a moment, doodling something on her pad.

"Yes, that's it exactly," Supergirl answered smoothly, finishing her orange juice, and feeling pretty good about the way this little conversation was going. She was in charge, for once. "I have no secret to protect behind a mask. I'm simply Supergirl, when I wake up in the morning, when I go to bed at night, when I eat or relax, I'm just Supergirl. Now, I was given the idea that you wanted to talk about something specific in particular. I'm here, but I only have a short while, so please, tell me what you'd like to talk about."

The multimedia mogul seemed to be collecting herself and her thoughts, because the information she'd just been given was mind blowing, to her anyway. _So Supergirl doesn't masquerade as a human being after all. What she says makes sense. With all her powers, it'd be very hard for her to hide among normal human society and pass herself off as one of us._

Casting that thought aside for the time being, she crossed her legs and got into her "professional mode" as she called it. "This mystery hero who's been helping people the past few weeks, you were seen flying away with him after the kidnapping of Cassie Lockwood had been foiled. He was injured, a bullet wound I believe, and required immediate medical attention. The media has been trying to discover who he is, what he's trying to do, and what sort of agenda, if any, does he have?" She let that sink in for a moment, and then finally she finished, "You were up close and personal with him. You saw his face. You heard whatever he told the EMTs and the doctors at the hospital. Who is he? What's his name? What is your opinion on him, and what he does, Supergirl?"

It was obvious that Cat was recording the conversation, its what pretty much any reporter would do in such a case. She thought for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to answer her boss' questions (even if Cat was unaware she was Supergirl's boss). "That's all true, yes. He was shot, he was in serious shape, and I did fly him to the hospital, and stayed until he was cleared. I heard everything he said from the time I arrived on the scene until I left him, yes," she began, trying to slow her breathing down. "I saw his face, yes. I was very close and personal for a short time with him, yes. I believe that while what he does is extremely dangerous, and that he shouldn't be doing such things, what he's doing is very brave, and very selfless. He's not seeking attention or glory. He's not trying to get some sort of reward or otherwise being an ass about it. He's trying to help those he sees who need help, plain and simple. I warned him about the dangers of what he does, especially without any powers of any kind, or any kind of technology. Its just him against whatever he finds himself up against. He can no more stop trying to help everyone he can any more than he can stop breathing."

A brief silence ensued as Cat digested that answer, and then she realized that the most pressing questions hadn't been answered. "Thank you for that opinion and assessment, Supergirl," she said, finally. "But you didn't answer the most important questions I asked, well, aside from what you thought about what he does. You saw his face. Who is he? What's his name? The people he's saved, and the loved ones of those people, want to know who to thank, who to keep in their prayers. They want a name to go with the brave, selfless soul that went out of his way to help them."

Supergirl breathed heavily, and rose to her feet. Sighing softly, she shook her head, "I'm sorry, Miss Grant, I can't tell you that. The man in question performs good deeds with no thought of compensation or reward. He doesn't stick around a scene for that very reason, because he doesn't want to be venerated, or made a fuss over, or even thanked. He doesn't do it for the thanks. He does it because people need help. He does it for the same reason that I do, and honestly, I admire and respect that about him. It takes a lot of courage to leap into the situations he does with no powers, no technology, no help of any kind, not even a bullet proof vest." She paused, trying to get her breathing under control and get herself back to her calm state, instead of the agitated one she was in at that moment. "He doesn't _want_ people to know who he is. And I can't tell you that. I'm sorry."

Growing a little agitated herself, Cat sighed exasperatedly, "Do you mean you _can't_ , or you _won't_ tell me?" She wasn't angry, but this sort of moral stonewalling was something she ran into a lot more often than she'd like to. In her mind, this guy was news. As news, people deserved to know who he was, what he was up to.

Supergirl's feet rose a few inches off the floor, and she looked back at the older woman. She shrugged her blue covered shoulders, and half smiled. "I mean both, Miss Grant," she answered with that same smile still in place. "Its not my secret to tell, and though he didn't ask for it, I gave my unspoken word that I wouldn't reveal his identity, not now, or ever. For all the good he's done, for all the people he's helped and saved, he deserves at least enough respect for his wishes to be honored. I'm really sorry, Miss Grant. I really have to go. I look forward to speaking with you in the future."

Cat tried to say something more, but Supergirl smiled, and rose into the air, flying away rapidly as soon as she was clear of the terrace. The Queen of All Media was left with a recording of a very short interview that spoke of very rare principles and concepts of honor, and as much as she might understand, and even agree with it, as a person, the reporter in her chafed at the withholding of information. Gathering her things, she stalked back into her office, stymied, but not defeated, not yet. If anyone thought so, they didn't know Cat Grant.

X

Maxwell Lord put down the screwdriver he'd been using to put the control cover plate back on the drone bearing the deadly Kryptonite armaments he'd built just days ago. The Kryptonite he had, in its raw, natural form, had been costly enough, but getting it in several useful varieties had cost an ungodly amount of money. Max's bank accounts didn't even notice. The mineral was hard as hell to get, and it was even harder to find someone who actually had any real access to any. The mineral was being kept hush hush by the government, but when you have the sort of eyes and ears that Maxwell Lord had, that didn't mean much.

Mentally patting himself on the back for his vision, his ingenuity, his genius, and not least of all his resources, Max powered the drone up. This one was built very different than the one Supergirl had encountered before, and it was definitely configured quite differently. He had automated cameras positioned in key points all over the city, and whenever Supergirl was spotted by one of them, they'd send a feed, and an alarm that she was nearby.

The rather delusional billionaire glanced up at the screen to see where the latest alarm had gone off, detailing a Supergirl sighting. Programming a last minute set of instructions into the machine, it lifted off and out the wide open door, heading for the sky and Supergirl's last reported location.

Rubbing his hands together in anticipation, Max swaggered about his lab far too happily for his own good. His obvious glee over what he saw as the imminent destruction of Supergirl outweighed any other thought he might be having. His unhealthy obsession was evolving into something much worse, and of course, he couldn't see it. His assistants and trusted employees might, but they weren't too keen on the idea of trying to convince him of this fact.

The screen to his right came on, showing the progress of the drone he'd sent out. A cold smile crossed his lips as he studied the data the drone was sending back already. The scene changed rapidly, showing different buildings and streets as the drone flew rapidly across the National City skyline. "Where are you, Blondie? Come out, come out wherever you are..." taunted Maxwell Lord quietly, as he adjusted the scenes being sent back to him. His eyes caught the lights of the monitors, reflecting it back in wildly changing shapes and color combinations.

A sharp tone sounded, and a series of lights began blinking on the display, and on the screen, below the drone, was the apparently unsuspecting Supergirl. Max's grin grew all the wider, and he tweaked the controls a little. "That's it, you little alien piece of trash. Just keep flying right along, believing everyone is as good and pure hearted as you. Aren't you in for a rude awakening, hmm? Enjoy this while you still have the strength to stay conscious."

The status on the display changed from a clear view to a momentary red flashing warning that read, "Target Engaged." As the word disappeared, but the border of the display continued to flash, and on the screen, the picture showed clearly a pair of the Kryptonite powered darts racing towards Supergirl's form.

X

ADA Laurel Lance, of the Star City District Attorney's office, stepped out of her car and looked around. She was in National City to give a deposition in a case spanning several states, and she would be presenting Star City's portion of the proceedings. The lot was empty, except for a few cars, and the wind blew lightly through her hair as she approached the lobby of the hotel. She knew she'd be in National City for several days, and figured she'd take in some of the sights while she was there.

The clerk was a very friendly woman, who was quite adamant about making sure she had enough towels and other things she needed. Laurel thanked the woman, and as she was off, getting whatever else it was she was going to bring back for the young ADA, Laurel turned her attention to the TV.

On the screen, a story about Supergirl, the hero of National City, was being run. It was a fairly short fluff piece, highlighting her adventures since making National City her home. Like nearly everyone else on the planet, Laurel had heard of Superman, and knew what he could do, and that he wasn't from Earth. _Yeah, like that was the Riddle of the Sphinx to figure out or something,_ thought Laurel with a smile. But she'd heard that Superman's sister, or cousin or something was also making headlines as a hero, here in National City. She called herself Supergirl, and from what Laurel could tell, she seemed pretty much as effective as Superman himself was.

The piece showed several videos of Supergirl in action, stopping trains, foiling robberies, holding up a skyscraper and welding its support structure back into place, and more. _Its about time we got a strong female hero for our kids to admire, hell, for_ _ **us**_ _to admire. She's powerful, she seems pretty smart, and she's even pretty, at least as pretty as Superman is handsome. You go with your bad self, girlfriend,_ she thought with a light laugh, watching the end of the piece.

Laurel figured the chances of her actually seeing Supergirl while in town, let alone meeting her, were pretty slim. Oh, she might see a red and blue blur flying past, but she didn't consider that actually "seeing" her. Still, with all the action she herself saw in Star City as the Black Canary, one of Green Arrow's members of Team Arrow, she understood just how rare such a thing might be. Even though she knew it was probably a crazy thing to do, Laurel had packed her Canary suit and gear in with her normal luggage for this trip. She figured she'd have it just in case she needed it, or she may have the opportunity to help this Supergirl out, if she ran into trouble going down and the Maiden of Might was occupied elsewhere. Besides, the practice never hurt.

When the clerk brought back the towels and other things, Laurel thanked the woman, collected her key card, and went outside to her car again. She opened the door, putting the armload of stuff in, and was straightening back up, preparing to get into her car, when she caught a flash out of the corner of her eye.

Now, before, she'd probably have never given such a thing another thought. We spend most of our lives around things that eventually catch our attention through our peripheral vision. Something about this felt different, Laurel thought. Glancing up at the night sky, she was surprised to see Supergirl flying comparatively slowly, and something above and slightly behind her that didn't look the slightest bit friendly.

Frowning, the ADA watched the object and the Girl of Steel, and she was just about to get into her car, figuring it to be something she was controlling, when the drone suddenly shot two objects which looked like little more than streaks, heading right for Supergirl. _That can't be good_ , she thought rapidly. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she cried out, "Supergirl, look out! Behind you!"

X

Supergirl was lost in thought, flying slowly over the city, trying to find a sense of peace. She knew she could always have gone back to her friends at the office, or home, but her head needed clearing tonight. There was just way too much on her mind. Cat's little interrogation about Joe had drained her, and she wanted to get herself back in order. Alex was probably blowing her phone up, she thought, and Winn too, but she couldn't let that distract her just now. On top of just wanting to find herself again, she was mentally going back through that entire conversation, trying to make sure that she hadn't said anything she shouldn't, that she hadn't accidentally revealed anything about Joe, or herself for that matter.

She heard the odd click and hiss, and rushing of air around small objects about the same time that she heard a woman yell, "Supergirl, look out! Behind you!" Immediately whirling in midair, she narrowly avoided one dart, suspiciously glowing a bright green, much like the Kryptonite equipment at the DEO. The other, however, she wasn't so lucky with. The dart grazed her, managing to rip her shirt over her bicep, and pierce her skin in a deep scratch, and immediately, she felt the mind numbing, exhausting, and weakening effects of the small amount of Kryptonite that managed to get into her system through the scratch. Even feeling like hell as she did right then, it was certainly preferable to what it would feel like if just one of those darts had hit home, let alone both of them.

She dropped twenty feet in the air before she regained her equilibrium, and spun slowly out of the path of another set of darts. She tried to pour the speed on, to outrun the thing until she could get her strength back, but she was too weak. The dart had grazed her, but hit well enough that she was quickly heading for unconsciousness. It was a losing battle, and she knew it. There was no denying it. She knew, without a doubt, this _had_ to be Maxwell Lord's doing. She couldn't prove it, but she damned well knew it. Max was the only one that hated her badly enough, had the resources to acquire the Kryptonite, the skills and knowledge to fashion such a drone, and the audacity to send it after her over the city, where any number of innocent people might be harmed.

She glanced back at the drone long enough to see a port turn suddenly green, and like a bolt of lightning, a green beam lanced out of the drone's port, blasting through the air, barely missing her, but blasting its way through a support structure on a parking garage. The beam passed through it as if it weren't there, ripping through several cars in the process. _Its some kind of Kryptonite laser or particle beam,_ thought Supergirl sluggishly, desperately trying to fight her way through the lethargy the Kryptonite was inducing in her.

She ducked, mustering every bit of speed she could, flying for the parking garage. As she grew closer, she concentrated, narrowing her gaze intently, attempting to weld the steel infrastructure back together, even though the concrete encasing it had been obliterated. It took agonizing seconds longer than it should have, but it would hold, at least until she could regain enough of her strength to more permanently repair it.

 _If I can get in the garage, maybe I can outmaneuver it, slow it down enough so I can lose it and double back and destroy it. Maybe in the process I can keep it from leveling half the city,_ Supergirl frantically thought. More of the deadly green beams whizzed past her, barely missing her constantly moving form. Thankfully, these didn't hit anything major, though a couple of cars did explode in brilliant balls of fire. Supergirl winced, hoping to work out a way later to compensate those poor people.

Turning on her back, almost, in mid air, she fired a burst of her heat vision back at the drone. It was severely weakened, and seemed to be growing weaker with every passing second, but she had to do something. If she didn't, the thing would most likely kill her and nothing would please Maxwell Lord more, she knew. "All right, you bastard," she growled back at the drone, not really expecting to be heard, but it made her feel better, anyway. "Come get some. You think you want it? Then come get it."

Gritting her teeth and pushing like she'd rarely ever pushed before, she forced as much speed out of herself as she could get, which wasn't much compared to her normal speed. She just prayed it was enough. She banked an almost ninety degree corner, grateful that unlike the drone, she was able to change course quickly on a dime. She groaned as she looked back again. The drone was tailing her at just a far enough distance to allow sudden course changes.

X

Laurel, in full Black Canary garb, tonfa baton in hand, stood at the edge of a ruined part of the floor of the parking garage. She'd watched the aerial battle, and once the parking garage had been hit, she'd instinctively assumed that Supergirl would head for it. It was a perfect place for distractions, misdirection, and evasion. She'd learned her lessons fighting alongside Oliver very well. Oliver always stressed for her to be aware of her surroundings, to use the area she was in to her advantage, to think with tactical awareness. It'd taken some time for those lessons to sink in, but they had, and she thanked him yet again silently as she watched, and prepared.

She'd left her car in front of the office of the hotel and ducked into the nearest dark place to change her clothes. She just hoped nobody found her regular clothes and took off with them, or reported the strange event to the National City Police Department. The parking garage wasn't that far from the hotel, and with all the winding around Supergirl had tried to do with the drone, she'd been able to make it there with seconds to spare. Jumping off of and from rooftop to rooftop with Oliver had paid off as well.

Supergirl whizzed by under her and she counted breaths as on the second one, she jumped down. She almost closed her eyes, but managed to keep them open. That diligence was rewarded when she landed squarely on the top of the drone. Directly in front of her was a domed area, though the dome didn't look like glass, it looked like something much harder, she just had no idea what. Whatever the material was, it looked like it was protecting the guidance controls, or maybe the weapons controls. Whatever it was had to be a vital system, and judging from where it was, she reasoned it was probably some sort of command processor.

Taking a firm hold of her tonfa, even as she fought with the other hand to stay on the drone's back, she slammed the end of the baton into the edge of the dome hard. Nothing visible happened, and the drone was flying erratically, as if trying to figure out how to dislodge her and follow Supergirl at the same time. Supergirl, the drone, and she were whipping back around the garage, making a loop, however winding, through the structure. Laurel slammed the baton again against the dome with no effect.

 _Okay, time to stop playing games. This is about to get real, one way or the other. Either this little birdie is going to be little more than peanut butter, or this thing is going to become a Skynet paperweight,_ she thought angrily. Taking a deep breath and releasing it, narrowly avoiding getting her forehead smashed against a roof crossbeam on the floor of the garage they were on, she called out as loudly as she could, praying that Supergirl's hearing was as good as Superman's was reputed to be. "Supergirl, cover your ears!"

She wasn't sure if the Girl of Steel heard her or not, but glancing up, she saw the blonde Kryptonian put her hands over her ears. Immediately, Laurel drew a very deep breath and activated her Canary Cry. Releasing that breath in the form of a scream, amplified and augmented by the collar, waves of sound exploded from her mouth in the direction she turned them, namely towards the domed processor of the drone. The dome shuddered, then cracked, and suddenly black smoke was pouring from the circuitry inside. That was the good news. The bad news was that the drone started flying very erratically, nearly dislodging Laurel several times as she held on for dear life.

While muffled, Laurel's sonic scream had still rattled Supergirl pretty strongly. She wavered in her path, dipping and nearly falling from the sky once, but she corrected herself, and flew outside the parking garage again. The drone, smoking and sputtering along, followed her. Turning back towards the drone, she recognized Laurel from news stories, talking about the vigilantes of Star City, and the line between vigilantes and superheroes. She knew Laurel was a friend, even if she was one she hadn't met yet.

"Canary!" she called back, turning in the air, heading down towards the lush grassy green of the golf course nearby the garage. "Be ready to jump clear! When my eyes start glowing, jump!" She was almost skimming the ground, trying to give Laurel as much safety as possible.

Laurel gave her the thumbs up to let her know that she heard and understood. Her stomach was tightening up in knots, and this was the part she hated, but loved at the same time. That crazy rush you get when your entire body is flooded with adrenaline. Suddenly, the drone started making weird sounds, and that's when it started firing its Kryptonite lasers like crazy. Trees were split and falling, huge patches of green were ripped up as the particle beams struck wildly at their target. Supergirl bobbed and weaved, but she was forced to go higher, otherwise she'd have been cleaved by one of the beams.

 _This has to end_ _ **now**_ _,_ Supergirl thought frantically, flying rapidly about twenty feet above the ground. The water hazard and sand trap rushed past underneath her as she tried to focus everything she had into a heat vision burst. She could feel her eyes lighting up, the heat tingling on her cheeks. She was about to call out to Laurel when the black clad heroine suddenly leaped clear of the drone, which twisted and bobbed in the air, still smoking. Her eyes burned with the power of a star, and pure heat and light lanced from her eyes and struck the drone head on. The front of it rapidly glowed red, but her heat vision, like the rest of her, was severely weakened and depleted. The drone was flying even more erratically than before, and sparks were flying from open and exposed circuitry.

The drone made a clicking noise, and suddenly a powerful jet spray emitted from two ports near its front. Supergirl was approaching the parking garage again, and Laurel was running like a bat out of hell to try to catch up. A green mist in a very compressed spray came out, and Supergirl could feel the radiation of the Kryptonite even at the distance she was. She turned to fly back towards the drone. She knew she wasn't going to get away from that gas, for it could be nothing else. The Kryptonite gas would permeate her every tissue, both from inhalation and exposure. She had no defense against it, and she knew she had no way to get away from it.

Determined to destroy the drone before it could hurt anyone, she flew rapidly as she could towards it. The mist was just starting to spread, to become airborne. She was flying through the garage again, intent on confining the drone's destruction if at all possible. _There are worse ways to die, and with the concentration of Kryptonite in this gas, coupled with what I've already been exposed to, there's no way out of this. I'm hoping Winn, James and the others find a way to expose Maxwell Lord and beat him at his own game. I'm just sorry I didn't get to say as much as I wanted to everyone._

As she flew past a second level wall, her eyes were still blazing heat vision at the drone, but it had dimmed to the point where it was almost gone, her power was that depleted. The gas was inexorably billowing up and coming right for her. With the momentum of the drone coupled with that of the ejectors, it was a continuous stream billowing in front of and dragging behind the drone, like a skywriter's smoke trail. The gas was spreading to engulf most of the area they'd been fighting the drone in, like a dense fog.

Laurel came running around the corner, looking winded, but not about to give up, not by a long shot. She was trying to catch her breath, and she was watching both Supergirl and the drone intently. Her face was a study in panic, fearing the worst, and knowing her fears were well founded. The streetlight from the path leading up to the garage was casting deep shadows around her, where it shone over where she was standing, and was obscured by the level above her's floor.

Supergirl's heat vision finally stuttered and stopped, and she was flying towards the far wall of the garage recklessly, barely able to hold herself aloft. The Kryptonite was taking its toll, and it was taking it aggressively. Suddenly, a blur flew out of nowhere, and she felt arms come around her tightly. The blur's momentum carried them away from the wall and the drone, towards the lush grass of the golf course. She and the blur hit the ground very hard, and they rolled over one another several times. It was the most pain Supergirl had felt in years, but it was worth it. She was alive to feel it.

Several grunts had accompanied their roll across the grass, and Supergirl was too disoriented to identify who might be making them. All she knew was that she was still there.

When the blur had leaped from the second floor of the parking garage in a very long trajectory, the drone had spit and sputtered, charging up its lasers again. Laurel had run after it, and just as it was trying to bank out in the new direction Supergirl had taken, thanks to the blur, she released the deepest breath she'd been able to hold in ages.

The sonic waves inundated the drone, cracking its shell, allowing brilliant sparks of fire to jump from the crevasses left behind by the damage. Her throat tightened as she intensified her cry, the scream becoming far more shrill and maddening in its pulsating force. The drone started cracking apart, and the attempt to bank was futile. Already being blasted apart by the cry, it smashed into the wall, exploding in a modest cloud of smoke and fire, leaving burning residue over the wall and several yards of the ground surrounding it.

Barely able to stand, Laurel somehow found the strength to run to where Supergirl and the unidentified person lay, an arm's length from each other. Laurel fell to her knees in a run at Supergirl's side, and cradled her head gently in her arms. Supergirl's face was a very pale shade of green, and Laurel knew that couldn't be normal. "Supergirl, are you all right? Come on, damnit, stay with me here," she goaded. The Last Daughter of Krypton had been unresponsive when she first got to her, and the greenish tinge concerned her. There had to be somebody around here that knew more about Kryptonian physiology than she did, she thought.

The blur came to Supergirl's side as well. His long dark hair was matted with grass and debris, and he was bleeding from more than one place. He looked like he might have sprained or even broken a couple of things, but he was breathing and moving. Looking up at Laurel, he breathed heavily, "Black Canary, one of the heroes of Star City. Fancy meeting you here. Talk about lucky. I've met _two_ beautiful lady superheroes now. I just wish I was feeling better so I could enjoy it more." He chuckled softly, trying to make sure she knew he was joking, even if it were an inappropriate time. "Nice to meet you. Joe Swift. This doesn't look very good."

Laurel smiled despite feeling like hell, and the situation. "Pleased to meet you too, Mr Swift. How much do you know about Kryptonian physiology? I've never met one before, and no, this doesn't look good at all." She was obviously very worried about the young alien lying on the grass between them.

"Not much," he admitted, with not a little pain over the idea. "But there's got to be someone who does. STAR Labs, Mercury Labs, somebody. She can't do this with no one to help patch her up on the rough ones." The concern in his eyes was palpable, and Laurel knew that there was something, be it friendship, intimacy, something between them, something strong.

"Call...call Agents...Hank Henshaw and...Alex...Danvers. They...they know what to do," croaked out Supergirl, her complexion taking a decided turn for the worse. "Give...give you...number..." She forced herself to stay conscious long enough to give the pair the number of her sister's cell. Right after, she fell unconscious, and while both knew that she shouldn't be allowed to remain unconscious, there wasn't a lot of choice at the moment.

Joe called the number Supergirl gave them, and he felt the woman on the other end was very compassionate, very concerned, and angry, though not at him or Supergirl. She told him they'd be coming in a chopper momentarily, and hung up.

Laurel and Joe didn't have to wait long. Within five minutes, the chopper arrived, and the same woman that Joe had seen at the kidnapping, the same brunette that had been talking to Kara, James, and Winn was the one that directed everything going on. She thanked them, and offered to allow them to go with them. The only catch was they had to swear to absolute secrecy on everything they heard and saw. They agreed, readily.

As they flew off to God only knew where, Laurel took an exhausted breath and leaned back against the chopper wall. _And here I thought this trip was going to be boring as hell. I got fooled, didn't I?_ Her eyes closed and she remembered nothing through the fitful sleep she had until the chopper touched down.


	6. Chapter 5

**AN** – I'm sorry it takes so long between updates. Life is crazy at the moment, and that means little time for writing. I'll try and update as frequently as possible. Thank you very much for your reading, and your reviews, follows, favorites, etc. I'm really glad you're enjoying this little tale so far. Just so you know, when I write, I have a broad overview of the story in general in mind and place, and it kind of writes itself as I write, with the highlights falling into place as I go. So, as a result, I wasn't expecting our _Arrow_ crossover either! Laurel just sort of marched into my head and said she'd be a logical person to show up for the trouble Kara was getting into. So I wrote her in! Please keep enjoying and let me know what you think!

hr

 **Chapter 5**

The sound of chopper rotors echoing off the walls of an enclosure started Laurel awake from a fitful sleep. Starting, she nearly leaped to her feet, and looked around with wide, blinking eyes as she regained her bearings. Voices coming across radios and other devices were speaking a lot of medical jargon, presumably about Supergirl, and her compatriot, the man named Joe Swift, put his hand on her shoulder.

"Easy, Canary," he soothed, looking around as well through eyes less than fully alert. They were more bleary than anything, the mark of exhaustion. The chopper's landing gear was just lowering and the aircraft settled onto the pad designated for it to land on, the rotors slowing and finally stopping. "We're just now touching down. I'm guessing we're at their base, wherever that is. Weirdest setup I ever saw for a military rig, though," he continued, looking through the tinted windows, apparently not overly at ease with what was going on.

Laurel's eyes moved over his form. Apparently, during their flight and while she was out, they had tended to his wounds. He apparently had sprained a shoulder, and probably cracked a couple of ribs, from the looks of his bandages and such. They'd apparently given him painkillers too, because if her estimation of his injuries was any guide, he was probably in a world of pain. She hoped if his sense of unease was justified that he wouldn't be overly incapacitated by the painkillers to help her fight their way out of here if this turned out to be some whack job paramilitary unit of some kind. Yet, Supergirl herself had given them the number. Maybe they just seemed odd because, well, honestly, Supergirl wasn't exactly the most normal person you'd ever meet. After all, she was an alien, and it stood to reason that aliens could make some rather interesting allies, in her mind.

Not that Supergirl being an alien bothered her much. She'd proven herself to be a friend and ally to the people of Earth on numerous occasions now, and her cousin many, many more times that again. With all the metahumans, mutates, and such running around, though, it seemed like the further someone was from plain old ordinary everyday human, the more esoteric their contacts and allies might be. More, Supergirl was a real and true hero, and if she trusted these people, whoever they might be, Laurel felt she ought to at least give them the benefit of the doubt before she started looking too deeply for trouble.

"That's because we're _not_ a military rig. Mr. Swift, isn't it?" asked a rather deep voice behind them. Turning, they saw a rather formidable looking middle aged man with very dark skin assessing them as if determining their status as a threat. "We're a rather specialized government agency, operating outside the perception of the general populace of the United States, with a specific purpose. So officially, we don't exist, at least not to the general public," he continued in that same almost sarcastic voice.

Joe, for his part, didn't look overly convinced. Frowning, he glanced at Laurel and then back to the man addressing them. "How do you know who I am?" he asked, eyeing the man warily, moving subtly between him and Laurel. "I don't recall identifying myself to anyone with your outfit."

"I know who you are," said another voice, this time the brunette from the CatCo offices. "I've got friends that work at CatCo," she offered helpfully, turning to give several orders to the people wheeling Supergirl out on a gurney. "Take her to the solar chamber, _immediately,_ " she said with no little amount of urgency.

The man smiled thinly, but there wasn't much humor in that smile. "And a plethora of security breaches," he added to what the brunette said, almost sourly. He held up his hands to stave off the obvious onslaught that was about to come his way from the brunette. "They can't possibly be any worse a risk than a couple of the others that have been here at any time. Though I am beginning to suspect that Supergirl's got more friends and family than a global communications network plan."

Laurel and Joe chose to listen for the moment, hoping that some light would be shed on the situation if they let these two talk. They weren't disappointed. The brunette stopped dead in whatever she'd been about to say before the man protested, then turned and looked worriedly towards the direction they'd taken Supergirl. "What do you think, Hank? I've never seen anything like it. She's gradually turning _green_."

The man called Hank, obviously someone of authority in whatever this "specialized government agency" was, frowned, almost, but not quite, seeming to forget about them as he answered the brunette, "It's Kryptonite poisoning, Alex. I've seen it before, with Superman. She's got Kryptonite particles of some sort in her bloodstream and its killing her. Rapidly. The darker her greenish hue becomes, the more far gone she is. We're going to have to work _fast_."

The others in the chopper, including Laurel and Joe, understood that "we're going to have to work _fast_ " meant that this was more than potentially deadly, being more along the lines of almost certainly fatal. The shock the two outsiders wore was evident in their faces, apparently, given the looks the two agents gave them. The woman called Alex frowned deeply, glanced at their guests, and then back to the man named Hank, "You've obviously got more experience than I do with this, Boss. What's our move? What can we do?" The worry in her voice was very strong, the same compassion and worry Joe had heard earlier on the phone.

"We'll help in any way we can," piped up Laurel, moving closer to the pair, with Joe slowly following suit. "We can't just stand by and do nothing," she finished, looking between them, feeling more helpless than she had in a long time. It wasn't a feeling she liked, not one little bit. From the look on Joe's face, it was one he echoed, without question.

Hank turned his attention her way, and though his expression was hard, she could see the compassion in it as well. Well camouflaged, perhaps, but there. "Unless you're someone with a doctorate in Kryptonian medicine and physiology under that mask, I'm afraid there's not much you _can_ do, Black Canary," he said heavily. "Not much, except hope and pray."

He drew a deep breath and then put his hand on Alex's shoulder, continuing, "Alex here is the best qualified we have within a thousand miles, for several reasons. If anyone can help Supergirl, its Alex. Try and make yourselves comfortable. We'll let you know things as we come to know them," he finished, then gave Alex's shoulder a light squeeze, then exited the chopper through the large open bay doors in its rear.

As he departed, Alex sighed, "I'm sorry, I have to get in there, right _now_ and see if I can't help Ka—Supergirl. Mendez will show you where you can rest and relax, get you food, anything you need or want, okay? I promise, as soon as I know _anything_ , I'll let you know immediately." She gave them both a smart pat on the shoulder, and ran, literally ran, towards the direction the others had taken Supergirl in earlier.

Alex's little slip hadn't gone unnoticed by either Laurel or Joe, but Laurel had no context to put it in. Supergirl's real name would mean little to her anyway, she thought. It was probably Kryptonian at that, which would mean even less. At any rate, she figured Alex was trying to protect Supergirl's privacy, which was more than understandable to her.

Joe, on the other hand, wasn't sure what to make of Alex's slip. He was sure she was just trying to protect Supergirl's privacy, the same as Laurel probably thought, but he kept coming back to what it sounded like at the beginning, and how remarkably similar that first half syllable she'd said almost sounded like she was going to say "Kara," which would be the name of Miss Grant's Executive Assistant. If it hadn't been so ridiculous an idea, and he wasn't so exhausted, he'd have probably laughed.

Kara had seemed like a very nice, very sweet girl, definitely beautiful, and a lot more, but she definitely _wasn't_ Supergirl. Or _was_ she? He had to admit, it'd be the perfect disguise, assuming she even had _need_ of a disguise. There were some superficial similarities and resemblances between the two, but they were just that. They _had_ to be. They had similar features and build, but a lot of people had similar features and builds with other people around the world. Kara was far too sweet, but shy, to be the strong, confident, and compassionate superheroine that had saved his life earlier that week. They may resemble each other somewhat, physically, but personality wise, they were very _different_ people.

Besides, who could work directly for Cat Grant, put up with her incessant demands and unrealistic goals, _and_ have time to save National City, its people and the world from all sorts of threats at the same time, and still manage to hold onto a shred of sanity, or get even five minutes' worth of sleep? Not even Supergirl. _So, again, one of the craziest ideas anybody's ever had,_ he admonished himself, almost laughing.

The person named Mendez got them settled into what looked like a glorified break room, complete with cots, privacy screens, refrigerator, microwave and several other amenities. He and his illustrious companion, the Black Canary, small talked for a bit, trying to make themselves comfortable on the more comfortable than expected cots. Yet, each kept staring in the direction they'd taken Supergirl, and each of them could read the worry in the other's eyes when they'd look back at one another again.

X

Alex entered the solar chamber and made it halfway to the table that Supergirl was lying upon when the instruments around her suddenly went crazy, making shrill beeping sounds, and alarms started going off everywhere. "Damnit, she's going into defib!" she yelled at no one in particular, rushing the rest of the distance to her sister's side. "Crank up the yellow solar radiation by another five thousand units, now! Stand clear!" She grabbed the paddles, hooked specifically up to the solar generator to act the same way an electrical defibrillator did for a human in just such an event, and pushed them to the Kryptonian's chest as everyone backed away.

The solar energy pulsing through the paddles was visible as bright yellow light, almost like lightning, as it coursed through Supergirl's body and she convulsed, arching upwards with the force of the shock. Her greenish tinge was worse than when they'd first found her, and the instruments were reading faint life signs once more. Wiping her brow, Alex set the paddles aside, and started trying to figure out a way to prep her for a controlled burst of solar radiation without burning out the equipment. Hank was nearby, standing back out of the way, but close. Concern burned in his dark eyes as he never took them off Alex or Supergirl.

The tenuous life signs beeped along unsteadily, slowly, and started dropping off again. Alex cursed profoundly, hitting her with the paddles once more, arcing enough solar energy through her body to power Metropolis or Gotham for probably twelve hours, but to little effect. Her body would partially recover, and gradually start dropping off again. Alex was wiping sweat off her brow, extremely anxious and agitated. She glanced up at Hank with an almost pleading look in her eyes.

"Hank, I know you're not a scientist, but if you've seen this before, you have to know _something_ that I can try! I can't let her die. I _can't!_ She's my little sister," she said with an edge of desperation. Every since Kara had come into her life, she'd been Kara's protector, she'd kept her safe, she'd been right there through everything with her. She'd kept her from harm's way, and she'd always succeeded. She couldn't fail now, she _couldn't_. She'd be failing her mom, her dad, herself, but most of all, she'd be failing Kara.

Kara, so innocent and frightened, a lost little child, orphan to an entire world. Kara, that sweet, shy, impossibly sad little girl that'd come into her life when Alex was fifteen, and a pretty average selfish teenager. Kara had given her life new meaning, eventually, once they'd gotten over the initial bumps. She kept Kara safe, kept her secure, gave her something to take her mind off the terrible tragedy that she'd endured when her entire world was destroyed. Failing Kara would destroy Alex's world, just as surely as Krypton blowing up had destroyed Kara's. She couldn't do that to her little sister. She _wouldn't_. Regardless of _what_ she had to do, she'd keep Kara safe, no matter what. Even if it cost her her very soul. No price was too great, in her heart, to keep her baby sister alive and well.

Hank rubbed his chin for a moment in thought, looking back towards the limp form of Supergirl, lying in the solar generator housing. The emotions in his eyes were easy to read for Alex, who had come to know him pretty well by this point. "The time I saw it with Superman, it took a massive amount of solar radiation to pull him back from the edge. Dr. Martin Stein theorized that a micro sustained solar burst of yellow solar energy could recharge his cells and essentially 'burn out' the Kryptonite poisoning, much like heat would burn out a fever and cause it to break," he spoke softly, with weighted words. "Even then, it was touch and go, and it wasn't an immediate effect. In other words, it was as dangerous to Superman as it was to everyone else trying to help him. He and your father managed to set it up, but it destroyed billions of dollars worth of equipment in the process, and almost didn't work."

The wheels in Alex's mind were turning very rapidly, almost as rapidly as the Flash running across water. _If it's been done once, it can be done again,_ she thought rapidly, eyeing her boss with a look born of necessity. "Can you get a hold of Stein, and find out what I need to do to set this burst up, please? I need to know, like right _now_ ," she intoned, already starting to move back towards Supergirl's nearly lifeless form. The Kryptonian's complexion was growing greener, and Alex's heart was freezing over with the icy cold of fear. She had to fight it back, for now. While there was hope, she could hold out.

Hank's strong hand gripped her upper arm and stopped her for a moment. "That's just it, Alex," he said with his voice sounding more and more weary with every word. "Superman's poisoning wasn't quite as severe, and was from a different method of contraction. His was through infiltration, from a shard of Kryptonite stabbed into him, and it filtered into his blood stream. Supergirl's is through absorption. Its permeated her tissues, her lungs, her mucous membranes, every possible method of absorption has been violated. Hers has soaked in to every recess of her body and continues to do so. I know you don't want to face it, Alex, but she's very close to the line. Perhaps too close."

The sadness and regret were obvious in Hank's voice, at least to Alex's ears. They'd always been fairly close, given Hank's closeness with her father, but since Hank had revealed his secret to her, she felt even closer to the Martian that was much like a second father to her. She steeled herself in her conviction, and repeated, "Just get me Stein. Please."

It was obvious she had something in mind. Alex was one of the most brilliant bio engineers he'd ever met. He was sure she was on to something. He nodded, and went to try and contact Dr. Stein.

X

Joe paced around the room they'd sent them to rest in, restless, and anything but rested. He barely knew her, but he was extremely concerned for the Kryptonian woman a few doors away in the complex. The very same woman who had saved his life, and that made National City a better place to live. His sprained muscles protested with every move, and he grimaced slightly in pain, but no other indicator of that pain made its way out.

Laurel watched him, and at another time, it might have been mildly amusing, but right now, there was nothing amusing about anything going on. Finally, after watching him for long moments, she rose and came to his side. "Hey," she said softly, catching his attention. "I don't know who these people are, or anything, but I have an idea that they truly intend to help Supergirl in any way possible. That Alex woman seems like she's particularly invested in helping her, from the sound of things."

Joe stopped his pacing, and stood beside Laurel, looking out the huge plate glass window at the complex beyond. Glancing over at her, he nodded softly, "Yeah, I know. She seemed nice enough. She's friends with some of the people at my office, and CatCo, as you know, is 'inextricably linked' to Supergirl, to use Cat Grant's words." This last little bit didn't sound as enthusiastic as the rest had. "I don't trust any of them, Canary, not yet. But I come closer to trusting this Alex woman than any of the others. I just hope they can actually help Supergirl in some way. National City _needs_ Supergirl."

Laurel nodded softly. She, herself, had gone through a time of realizing that the city and people around you needed a hero sometimes, even if they didn't think they did. Even when she was hell bent on seeing the Arrow, as Oliver had called himself at the time, arrested and put in prison, she knew that Star City, or Starling City as it had been known at the time, _needed_ the vigilante known as the Arrow, whether it particularly _wanted_ him or not. She knew that not only did National City need Supergirl, they actually _wanted_ her, too, which was a huge step up in her eyes. Supergirl wasn't just some super strong girl in a red cape flying around, picking up incredibly heavy stuff, or doing what would be impossible for a human to do, she was a friend, a protector, a symbol of hope for National City, and by extension, the rest of the world as well. She made things better by being the physical embodiment of hope.

"Yes, yes it does," Laurel agreed, patting his shoulder lightly, casting her gaze out through the window as he did. "And somebody tried to take her out of the equation. That machine, or drone, or whatever it was wasn't just some freak of nature happenstance. It was _designed, built and planned_ by someone. Someone wanted, and intended, to hurt, or kill, Supergirl, and these government people, or _somebody_ ought to find out just who that someone was, and _fast_ , and deal with them before something else like this can happen again."

Joe turned and looked at her with a peculiar expression. He'd been thinking something similar, but not so much consciously. His conscious mind had been taken over by concern. But his subconscious had been making those very same connections. "You know, you're right," he said slowly, his gaze hardening somewhat, as his fist clenched involuntarily. "Someone orchestrated this whole thing, and that someone has to be stopped, and better yet, get their ass good and kicked before they do something even worse to Supergirl, or the people of the city. The only things that would happen to the city with Supergirl out of the way are bad things. The question is who would do this?"

"Oh, we know _who_ ," said Hank, accompanied by the sound of the sliding doors opening and closing once again. His face was grim, and his eyes spoke far more than his voice did. For a bare instant, Laurel and Joe could almost swear they were red, but that was just crazy. "Finding out _who_ isn't the problem. The problem is getting to that person, and once you've gotten to them, making anything stick on the bastard."

"Who in their right mind would want to hurt Supergirl, who's done nothing but _help_ the city since she got here?" asked Laurel. It was almost a rhetorical question. Almost, but not quite, since she wasn't savvy to a lot of things that had been going on in the city, being from Star City, as she was. "It doesn't make any sense." Joe nodded his agreement with this as they both studied the DEO agent.

The doors opened again to admit a very tired looking, worried looking and angry looking Alex. Her dark eyes flashed, having caught the tail end of the conversation, the cell phone still in her hand. "Nobody ever said the son of a bitch was in his right mind," she replied, angrily, looking at the three of them with a look that would tear down mountains. She slammed a dossier down on the table she'd been carrying with her. "His name is Maxwell Lord, and I'm sure his name is no stranger to your ears. He's had it in for Supergirl since she first arrived, and the pompous little ass can leave off logos and distinctive markings, but proprietary tech is called proprietary for a reason. Lord Technologies tech is all over that drone. Here's the report on the lab's findings along with the dossier. You really want to find out who's behind this? There he is. And I, for one, don't care _what_ you do with that information, legal or not, Constitutional or not. He's nearly killed Supergirl, who's closer to me than I could ever explain. Nothing any of you could do would be nearly as bad as what I'll do if _I_ catch him."

Hank didn't say anything, he knew better than to talk at this moment when Alex's emotions were so volatile, and so close to the surface. Lord had very nearly killed, and still very well could kill, Alex's sister, and there wasn't a force on the face of the planet that would turn her from seeking retribution for Kara if that were the case. If he'd learned anything about Alex Danvers over the years, it was that. He tilted his head slightly at Alex, asking an unspoken question. His movement caught her eye and she looked at him meaningfully, and nodded slowly. Whatever Stein had been able to tell her, it wasn't necessarily good, he was figuring out, but it was, at least, _something_.

"Wait," said Joe Swift, looking at everyone in turn with a small amount of uncertainty in his voice. "You're saying Maxwell Lord, multi billionaire, inventor, humanitarian, blah, blah, blah is the person behind this attack on Supergirl?" His voice rose slightly in pitch, the realm of incredulity. "And everyone thinks its a great idea if we storm his fortress, filled with his tech, private security, army of lawyers, and maybe a Senator or Congressman or two, and smack his ass around... or worse... for trying to kill Supergirl, a proven hero and friend to all?"

Hank, Alex and Laurel all nodded solemnly to his questions, for slightly different reasons, but similar enough that there was no room for error. After several moments of silence, Joe contemplated this, and finally, with a grin that held no humor to it, he said slowly and clearly, "Good. If this son of a bitch tried to kill Supergirl, who's done so much good for everybody, he needs to be dealt with, with extreme prejudice. So, by all means, count me _in_."


	7. Chapter 6

**AN** – Thank you for your continued reading and following this story. I hope you're enjoying reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it. I apologize once again for the long delay in updating. Life is still crazy and I'm trying to squeeze writing time in when I can, which isn't nearly as often as I'd like. Please review and let me know what you're thinking, and by all means, please enjoy!

 **Chapter 6**

Laurel looked over at Joe, clad head to toe in black, like the rest of the DEO Incursion Team, and studied his face. His pleasant features were hardened in a grim mask of determination, and his eyes blazed with the fires of indignant and righteous fury whenever he turned his dark gaze towards her. In ways, he reminded her of Oliver, when they were closing in on someone who'd perpetuated some terrible wrong and needed to be put down, and put down _right then._ The way he stared at the Lord Technologies building in front of them, she was surprised he hadn't burned a hole through the wall.

She'd learned quite a bit about the mysterious Joe Swift over the past several hours, though she knew these were only things that were near the surface, things he may not be necessarily willing to reveal, but would in just this sort of circumstance. Laurel had no illusions that what she _didn't_ know was far, far more than what she _did_ know. Still, from what little she may have gleaned, she knew he was an honest, fair, just and honorable man, and that he had some sort of strong friendship with Supergirl. She also knew that all his virtues would probably be outweighed by his anger and outrage at the billionaire asshole that had brought harm to his friend, and National City's heroine. Not that she could blame him. Some things were just too wrong on too many levels to let slide or go easy on, and this was one of them.

"You sure about this?" she asked, drawing a deep, slow breath. She met his eyes as he turned towards her, continuing, "There's probably an army of well trained security in there, not to mention whatever technological protections Max has probably come up with for just this sort of occasion. You don't gun for Supergirl without knowing you're going to draw some serious heat for it. No matter how goddamned crazy you've become."

She knew that Maxwell Lord's private little army probably outnumbered them at least three to one. Guys like this didn't like leaving themselves open, especially when they were as crazy and paranoid as it seemed like Max was. There was a very real chance of serious casualties tonight, on both sides, and as inflamed as she was, that thought gave her pause. She didn't want to see anyone hurt. _Wait a minute,_ she thought, tightening her fists. _That's not_ _ **entirely**_ _true. I want to see Max hurt. The others are just incidental bystanders._

Joe stared at her in silence for a few endless seconds, and Laurel could see the fires swirling and churning in his eyes. Finally, he replied, "I know there's a lot of unknowns, and even more possibilities in there, waiting for us. His army are just a bunch of guys that get paid to protect him. There's only so much loyalty and bravery money can buy. Sure, you're going to have that one crackpot that's loyal to the core, maybe a couple, but most of them will tuck tail and run when they see what sort of danger they're in." His eyes traveled to the team leader, who was signaling for them all to get ready, the breach was coming very soon. "Besides, the more I have to work to get to him, and the harder it is to get to him, the more pissed off I'm going to be when I finally get my hands on him. All the crazy genius intellect in the world isn't going to keep him from feasting on a fist or two then."

Laurel nodded solemnly. She understood Joe's anger, and where it came from. She was angry herself. She was _furious_. But if her time with Oliver and Team Arrow had taught her anything, it was to fight smart, think tactically, and be aware of everything around you at all times. Never underestimate your opponent, and never overestimate yourself. These were lessons she'd learned the hard way, and it had almost cost her her life more than once.

She knew that Joe had training, she'd seen it in the way he'd moved when they were fighting that drone. Even so, she hoped very much that he didn't have those same lessons to learn that had taken Laurel so long herself to learn. All the training in the world can't help you if you make a bad enough mistake, and the chances of making such a mistake tonight were pretty high.

She hoped Alex would have some luck helping Supergirl. Laurel was no expert or doctor, but even she knew that the darkening green tint of Supergirl's skin meant nothing good. It felt odd, being hit so strongly by a deadly plight of someone you hadn't even officially met, but Laurel knew her by her reputation, by the news reports of all the good she had done. She'd seen the young woman's character in the rare interviews she gave, heard the true compassion and just plain goodness in her voice, seen it in her face and eyes. Though she'd never actually met her, she felt as if she knew Supergirl in that instinctive way that you know someone will be a good friend. The thought that her light may possibly be extinguished by someone as crazed and corrupt as Maxwell Lord made her blood boil.

She barely knew Alex as well, but she felt there was some sort of very close connection between her and Supergirl, some sort of bond that went beyond merely working together, or even friendship. It was evident in the DEO agent's eyes, in the sound of her voice. She had a conviction to help Supergirl, regardless of the cost, that spoke volumes to an ear that was listening. Laurel felt confident that if anyone could help Supergirl, it would be Alex. And Lord help Maxwell Lord if she failed.

Movement caught her attention and she glanced up. The team leader was giving the ready sign. Everyone nodded curtly once to show their readiness. Laurel and Joe followed suit. A few heartbeats later, the team leader signaled the advance, and the team began moving in rapidly, taking the building from several vantage points. A few seconds later, the alarms started going off. The battle was joined. _Let slip the dogs of war and cry havoc,_ Laurel thought as she launched herself into the fray. _Your ass belongs to us, Maxwell Lord!_

X

"All right, what did Stein tell you?" Hank asked, crossing his arms as he stood beside Alex outside the solar chamber. They were both looking in at the still form of Supergirl lying on the table under the emitters. Her green coloring had gotten worse, and it was obvious that the poisoning was penetrating her bodily defenses rapidly. Hank focused his eyes on Alex, not wanting to look at the dying Kryptonian on the table. For all his gruffness, Supergirl meant more to him that he let on. He viewed Supergirl much as he would a daughter, just as he did Alex. He'd promised Alex's father that he'd look after them, and in doing so, became attached to them in much the same way.

Alex sighed, and brushed an errant strand of hair back from her face. The plight of her sister, the mad scramble seeking solutions, and the pressure of having a rapidly expiring window of time were all weighing down on Alex like a billion tons of steel. She looked like she hadn't slept in a month, and truth be told, she felt even worse, but that wasn't going to stop her. It wasn't going to keep her from exhausting every single possible way to save her sister that she could find.

"Basically, he gave me a double edged sword," she replied finally, in a very tired voice, but not defeated, at least not yet. "He said based on the data that I sent him, and what data he had concerning Superman when he had been Kryptonite poisoned, that the solar chamber probably couldn't generate enough yellow solar energy rapidly enough to power through the Kryptonite. His idea was that if we could get her closer, _much_ closer to the actual sun, or ideally a hotter star, like a white or blue star, it would work. Unfortunately, there's no way in hell to get her closer to the sun in time, or to protect her until we got her there, let alone achieving the impossible and getting her to another star."

Hank frowned, and nodded slowly. He was no astronomer, but he knew that the closest white star was several light years away, and the closest blue star was even further. Alex didn't have to tell him that in her weakened state, Supergirl would burn up when she got too close to the sun, because her invulnerability was negated by the Kryptonite that was slowly killing her. _We're damned if we do, and damned if we don't,_ he thought sourly, wishing he had Maxwell Lord's neck in his hands right then.

"There's got to be some way to do _something_ ," Hank growled, looking impotently around the lab, hoping for a spark of an idea, for anything that might even suggest a possibility of a way to save the Kryptonian. "She stores solar energy in her cells, like a battery, like her cousin does, doesn't she? Can we set the emitters to maximum and let her cells build up yellow solar energy until they eventually burn through the poisoning?"

Alex's weary face looked thoughtful. "Yes, she does. The problem is that the emitters can't burn at maximum nearly long enough to allow her to store that much energy. They'd burn out long before she reached the threshold capacity." She suddenly snapped up, and started tapping keys on the keyboard of the computer terminal in front of her rapidly.

This went on for several seconds, with Hank watching complex equations fill the screen and change at Alex's manipulation. The young woman burned with the intense concentration of a laser sight as she worked at the computer. It was obvious that Alex thought she was onto something, but he wasn't sure what it could be. "What is it?" he finally asked, curiosity getting the better of him. "Have you found a way?"

"Maybe," answered Alex, looking unsure, but hopeful. Hope was all she needed, though, and that was enough to keep her going. "Every star burns hotter and brighter at its core than it does on its surface, and surrounding corona," she said thoughtfully, studying some figures on the screen still.

The Director of the DEO frowned, rubbing his jaw lightly as he listened. "Yes, that's true, they do," he said slowly, wondering where Alex was going with this. "But you said it yourself, its impossible to get Supergirl closer to the sun to be close enough where the energy would overtake the poisoning. If you can't get her closer to even the corona, how would you possibly get her to the core?"

Alex was moving rapidly now, using up to four computer terminals almost at once, moving back and forth between them entering information. "That's just it, we may not have to," she replied, her voice starting to pep up as she continued to work. She was moving so fast her fingers were a blur.

"I'm not sure I follow you, Alex," said Hank slowly, getting almost dizzy watching her move so animatedly. He'd never seen her react quite this way before to anything, and seeing it now was both awe inspiring and unsettling.

Never missing a beat, Alex continued to tap in her computations to the computer as she elaborated, "The solar chamber is designed to mimic the natural light given off by the sun, generating yellow solar energy. But its limited, both to material strength and design, and resistors, as well as power governing at the source. The limits are imposed to protect both the components and the chamber, and us as well."

She was starting to make a little more sense to Hank's ears as he listened, but he wasn't entirely convinced he knew what she was gearing up towards. "Right," he said heavily, never taking his eyes off Alex's. "The limits are what keeps the solar chamber from working under these circumstances. So where does the solar chamber come into all this?"

Alex laughed, she actually laughed. From the sound of it, she could have been simply elated, or possibly even mad. "I've got a theory," she said with grave intonation, "but its _just_ a theory, but its the only thing that stands a chance at working. What Kara needs is a full charge of yellow solar energy, _right now._ If we amp up the generator to full power, unfettered, and remove the resistors from the chamber, and if I adjust the amplitude and wavelength of the emitters to project that energy in the form of white or blue solar energy, we can build the power up and give her a single, massive burst of energy, akin to the reaction in a star when it hits supernova." The young scientist was practically whooping at this point.

Hank wasn't sure she _wasn't_ going mad at this point. Skeptically, he tilted his head, "And what about Kara? That sort of explosive burst would disintegrate her in her condition. There wouldn't be anything left to save." Hank was seconds away from calling in the psych team to have her put under observation until she regained her senses.

Alex, however, seemed oblivious to Hank's obvious reservations. She continued in a rising voice, "That's the beauty of science and how her powers work, Hank. In order for something to be disintegrated, the cells of the object being disintegrated needs to absorb the energy to past their capacity to hold it, which immediately breaks them down and reduces them to atomic particles. This burst will fill Kara's cells _immediately_ to capacity with the solar energy she needs in order for her powers to work. Once she's at a threshold where the energy overpowers the poison, her powers will kick back in and start working again. The poison will burn out, and her invulnerability will already be in effect by the time the solar energy would have disintegrated her, which will negate the disintegration, and return her to full power in one big pop."

The Martian stood dumbfounded for a moment, listening to Alex, and frowned. Her words were still echoing in his mind, and he examined her theory from start to finish with extreme skepticism. That skepticism eroded very quickly, and finally disappeared in a matter of seconds. "How long would it take to set that up so it could be done?" he asked tentatively.

Alex thought for a few seconds, then shrugged. "If you give me two full teams, a little less than an hour, probably," she answered, her face growing serious again. "But there are consequences and drawbacks. While it'll almost certainly help Kara, the burst will absolutely destroy the chamber, the equipment and half the compound, not to mention overload and black out half of National City. This lab is shielded with pure Promethium, so it'd be safe, but everything around it, not so much."

J'Onn J'Onzz of Mars, disguised as the human Hank Henshaw, exhaled slowly as he stared at the instruments for a long moment, obviously weighing possibilities and consequences. When he looked up, his eyes were unreadable. "It's a good thing that the lab and solar chamber are on the edge of the compound, away from where personnel are usually located, then. Take what you need, and set it up. Blackouts can be fixed, and equipment can be replaced. Do it."

Alex didn't need to hear any more. She immediately ordered teams to start work on the modifications and she finalized her calculations.

X

A laser beam screamed past Joe's ear as he whirled, his foot striking a security guard in the jaw hard, sending him cart wheeling to the side. A pile of security guys, unconscious or unable or unwilling to stand due to injuries lay scattered around him. Picking up one of the security guards' weapons, he shot at the emitter firing the laser and hit it on the second shot, fusing it into useless metal. _Fancy laser ray guns these guys have. Only the best when you work for Lord Technologies, I guess_ , he thought sourly. _I feel like I'm in the middle of Star Trek or Star Wars, instead of National City._

Fights were going on all around him, as the DEO Incursion Team fought off the superior numbers of Lord Technologies security guards, plus the automated defense systems in the place. A loud screeching was heard from over his right shoulder, and he turned to see Laurel using her Canary Cry on a squad of the security guys, sending them to their knees in pain instantly. What guards didn't succumb to the sonic assault were rapidly dispatched by her hands, feet, and tonfa baton.

 _The woman knows how to fight, that's for damned sure,_ thought Joe as he swept the legs out from under a guard, and rolled to elbow him in the back of the head, rendering him unconscious, then rolling from a shot from both a guard and the automated defense system, the lasers striking the polished floor, leaving a jagged pothole where he had been.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Maxwell Lord himself at the top of the staircase, punching buttons on a hand held device, and yelling some sort of crazy nonsense as the fight continued. He immediately started directing his fights in that direction, aiming to climb the stairs and dispatch Lord as quickly as he could. He was tired of the cat and mouse stuff.

Guards fell like dominos around him as he made his way towards the stairs, dodging deadly laser blasts from the automated defenses at the same time. More screeching and thuds told him that Black Canary had the same idea and was following right along with him. He smiled grimly as the screeching got suddenly louder, and a rain of metallic pieces fell from the ceiling where she'd destroyed an emitter array with her sonic attack.

The pair fought up the stairs, sending bodies flying, weapons reeling, and debris scattering all along the way. Bruised and bleeding, but determined, they fought their way through much greater numbers, leaving a trail of bloodied and injured men for hire in their wake. The look of surprise and shock on Maxwell Lord's face was priceless, and well worth the effort when they finally got through the last few guards near him. Behind them, the battle raged on between Lord's men and the DEO Incursion Team. The whine of lasers, bark of bullets, smacks of fists and feet and the groans of injured people was like some sick symphony of conflict to their ears.

Lord reacted by frantically punching buttons on the device in his hand, but immediately dropped it as it shattered into a million fragments, destroyed by the Black Canary's cry. His brows furrowed furiously, and he swung a fist at the rapidly advancing Joe Swift, catching him in the jaw, and turning his head hard to the right, a resounding smack punctuating the blow.

Joe saw the punch coming, but there was little he could do, he was already committed to his action, and he was too close in to effectively block it. His momentum would have disrupted his block attempt more than anything Lord could have done. Instead, he took the punch to the jaw, a rather solid punch at that, and let his head be carried to the right. Using that momentum, he spun rapidly as he went towards the ground, his heel striking the side and back of Lord's knee, sweeping his legs out from under him, sending him toppling backwards to the ground.

Lord hit the ground with a loud thud, and instantly Joe was regaining his feet. The simmering anger in his eyes was obvious to any who looked at him. The billionaire scrambled to get up, struggling to his feet, but Black Canary stepped forward, delivering a punishing side thrust kick to his face that sent his head hurtling back towards the floor, bouncing solidly off it.

While Lord was dazed, Joe seized the opportunity, as well as Lord's neck in his left hand, and squeezed hard on the throat and Adam's apple, causing even more excruciating pain to the crazed billionaire. The angry Cherokee drew back a fist and delivered three hard, crushing, savage blows to Lord's face, squeezing his throat all the tighter as he struck him. "You son of a bitch!" he yelled, and shook Lord by the throat like a wolf would shake a caught rabbit.

Lord, mouth and nose bleeding profusely, large bruises already starting to form on his swelling face, laughed almost giddily, and held up his hands as if in surrender. "You'll have to be more specific," he said smoothly. "I've done a lot of things people call me a son of a bitch for. Which thing, specifically, are you pissed off about?"

"You _know_ what we're talking about!" answered Laurel, the anger showing in her face as well, her mask concealing part of it, but only part. "You tried to kill Supergirl!" Her hands gripped her tonfa that much tighter, itching to swing it, but managed to hold herself back from it. For now.

"Oh, _that,_ " Lord said dismissively. "So I take it she's _not_ dead yet? Tsk, tsk. Damned aliens are like cockroaches. You stomp, crush and smash them, and somehow, they keep right on living. You can use every method available, but you never can _quite_ get rid of them completely."

With a growl of rage, Joe punched him again in the face, hard, so hard as to the sound of a bone cracking was loud in the ears of those near. The Native choked him a little harder, and shook him like a rag doll. "Kryptonian, human, or from the far side of Pluto, she's still a _person_ and killing someone is still murder. You might buy your way out of jail, and out of a trial, but you can't buy your way out of the ass kicking you're about to get."

Lord simply sneered up at the both of them, and laughed. "My, you're a dramatic fellow, aren't you? Oh, I'm so scared. Kick my ass, kick my ass _please_ and show me how tough and righteous you are. What's _your_ superhero name? Drama Queen?"

Rage welled up quick and hot in Joe, but Laurel put her hand on his shoulder, giving him a subtle shake of the head. Looking down at Max, shaking her head. "I'm afraid your luck has run out, Mr. Lord. You're not going to jail. You're going in with _these_ guys." She nodded towards Agent Mendez, who was leading the team, and had approached the three of them since the fight seemed to be largely over.

The leader of the DEO team looked at the bleeding and bruised billionaire and shook his head in disgust. "Yeah, you're coming in with us. If it were up to me, I'd just turn my back and let Mr. Swift here do whatever he damned well pleased to you. But its your lucky day, because I've got orders to bring you back to base, so we can _all_ make your life a living hell while you're incarcerated. No sense in letting Mr. Swift have _all_ the fun, now, is there?"

The agents confined Lord effectively and efficiently as the two very tired heroes followed along slowly back to the helicopter. Joe was still raging inside at Lord, but he knew that he'd get at least some of what he deserved where he was going. That gave him some relief, at least. Glancing at Laurel, she returned his glance with a light smile. She was thinking similar thoughts.

With the loud whooshing of the chopper blades, the helicopters took off, heading back to the DEO base, their prize in tow. The lead pilot radioed in that they were headed home with the package wrapped tight.

X

"Where the _hell_ is Kara?" boomed the angry voice of Cat Grant over the main offices, venom dripping from every syllable as she mangled the pronunciation of Kara's name yet again, as she always did. Workers slid down in their seats and looked around, hoping someone had some sort of an answer so Cat would stop storming the office every half hour or so, demanding the presence of her assistant.

Winn felt fear knot up in his stomach for the twelfth time that day as Cat was one more screaming for Kara. He turned in his seat and raised his hand hesitantly, looking towards the very imposing figure of his boss, a neat trick for such a small woman.

Cat spied him, and frowned even deeper. The barb to her words was just as sharp when she addressed him, "You're not in goddamned kindergarten, Wit. You don't have to raise your hand and wait your turn. Spill it. Out with it. Where the hell is she, what the hell is she doing, and why the hell is she not _here_ where she's _supposed_ to be?"

Winn inwardly winced as she got his name completely wrong, as usual, and yelled at him so directly. Sighing, he tried to keep his voice from quavering, "She...she's taking care of that gift you had her order for your son Carter's birthday party. They ordered the wrong item, and rather than let you see the item was wrong and get upset about the delay, she went to get it fixed so the proper item would be here quickly and spare you the headache of having to deal with that, Miss Grant." In his mind, he was praying fervently that she bought it.

Silence lingered for several seconds, much longer than anyone expected it to. Cat even actually blinked a couple of times before responding, "Oh. I see. How efficient and thoughtful of her. _The very minute_ she gets back, tell her I wish to see her. _Right then._ " With that, she turned sharply on her heel and stalked back into her office, the glass doors once again separating her from the masses. Everyone in the office breathed easier.

James Olsen, who had been standing near the elevator when this whole scene was happening, came quickly to Winn's desk, and spoke low, "That was quick thinking, Winn. How'd you know it was Carter's birthday party that was being planned?" He glanced towards Cat's office to make sure she wasn't about to head back out on another tirade.

The IT specialist shrugged, and smiled thinly, which evaporated quickly. "Easy. Kara mentioned it to me when she went out to get the thing, whatever it is. That wasn't long before the...the...the reports we saw," he finished, his voice growing thick. He was referring to the news footage of Supergirl, Black Canary, and the unknown guy fighting the drone near the parking garage. The report hadn't finished well at all.

James understood what the other man was feeling, and laid a friendly, supporting hand on his shoulder. He was worried, himself, but right now, he needed to be reassuring for Winn, who wasn't taking the possibility too well. "Hey, don't worry too much. Kara's tough, she's a fighter. A hero. She's a lot like her cousin, and Superman's been through this sort of thing several times. She'll be okay, when its over and done. She always comes out on top."

Winn tapped his desk idly with a pen, and nodded slowly, but it was obvious that his worry was outweighing his reassurance. "I sure hope so. That looked pretty...done. I don't know what would happen if something happened to Kara." The weight of the situation pressed hard on his shoulders. James sighed with him, hoping the same thing, thinking the same thing.


	8. Chapter 7

**AN** – Once more, I apologize for the large delays in between updates. Life here is still nothing resembling sane, and my free time is very limited, which means I have little time to write. I'm hoping, at least, that the updates may be worth the time waited? Please, read, review, and let me know what you think, good or bad. Only through constructive criticism can we grow as writers!

 **Chapter 7**

Alex wiped her hands on a cloth as she finished up helping the team make the final adjustments to the solar chamber and relevant systems. She glanced through the thick reinforced window at her sister, laying dormant on the table under the emitters, projecting yellow solar radiation at her. It wasn't nearly enough, and Alex hoped her half baked, hare brained theory panned out. _If not...no, Alex, there_ _ **is**_ _no "if not,"_ she chastised herself mentally as she stepped behind the console, facing the window. _This is_ _ **going**_ _to work, it_ _ **has**_ _to work. I can't face myself, let alone mom, and the world, if I fail. I_ _ **won't**_ _fail you, Kara. I_ _ **can't**_ _._

She began tapping on the keyboards to the computers, adjusting the emitters to reset to the new parameters she'd given them, the projection of blue solar energy. It was the brightest and hottest the heavens had to offer, and it stood the best chance of doing what needed to be done quickly enough that it wouldn't be an exercise in futility. Another few taps, and she had the generator building up, holding back the energy until it was ready to be released, instead of venting it in a steady pulse.

She'd scraped and scrounged every piece of energy storage and containment tech she could find, and had them patched in to the generator. The entire solar chamber and lab were patched up like a crazy quilt, with lights blinking to rival the Macy's Christmas Day Parade. She could feel the vibrations building through the floor and walls of the Promethium shielded lab.

The generator was going to be releasing energy on a scale of at least ten thousand times the sun at the core in a very few moments. Most of that would dissipate rather than strike full force on Supergirl. It would manifest as incredibly bright fireworks that would light up the sky for a brief flash, but much brighter than a nuclear detonation. From a distance, it would appear much like a nuclear explosion would, only without the mushroom cloud. There would be a hotspot on the mountain there for a few months from the ambient energy still free floating, but at least it wouldn't drill a hole through her sister and the planet.

Alex knew that Supergirl would also absorb a lot of that energy, so there would be far less fallout than it if simply burned and struck. The generator and other equipment would be vaporized upon detonation of the energy, along with much of the compound, and surrounding area's vegetation and objects lying around. The power backlash would burn out half of National City's power grid, but yet, Alex knew it was worth it. In all probability, it would save Supergirl's life, her sister's life. Every scrap of data said this would happen, and though it was only a theory until it was proven, she had faith in the numbers. She _had_ to have faith.

A noise behind her, the sound of the door closing, caught Alex's inwardly focused attention, and caused her to turn and look over her shoulder. The formidable form of Hank Henshaw was entering the lab, his face a combination of determination, and a grim visage. Stopping next to Alex, he peered through the window at the still form of Supergirl. Alex could read the emotions on his face, the emotions he wasn't allowing to come out, visible to none, except those that had learned what to look for.

He drew a slow, deep breath and released it just as slowly, glancing over at Alex. "I've followed your recommendations. Everyone on base is at a radius of ten miles from the base," he said seriously, his brows knitting deeply. "It's just you, me, and Kara now. Like you said, the lab is shielded in Promethium. We should be well protected. I've alerted the National City Electric Company, anonymously of course, and warned them that a 'rogue solar flare' might possibly interfere with their operations, so they might want to have repair crews standing by."

Alex nodded softly, and looked up at him with her eyes, her face never turning from her sister. "Thanks, Hank," she said, setting the final sequence up to be activated with the press of a single button. "What about the prisoners? They're criminals, but we can't let anything happen to them, either." Inside, she was jittery, nervous, as if she were about to give a speech to the entire nation live in front of every news media outlet in the world's cameras, completely naked. It wasn't a pleasant feeling at all.

"They've all been moved to the DEO installation in Los Angeles. The facilities there are as good as they are here, and we have them all sedated heavily during transport, with dampening fields on those with better than average abilities of some sort," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew Alex had to be worried, nervous, a million different things all at once.

"Good," breathed Alex, swallowing hard, fighting back the emotions threatening to well up and spill out of her like a waterfall. She glanced back up at the disguised Martian again, and softly said, "The longer we wait, the less chance this is going to work. It's now, or never." Her hands flitted about the counter, not sure of what to do with themselves at the moment, after working so hard for several hours before.

Hank understood, and fixed her eyes with his. He didn't have to read her mind to feel the enormous turmoil raging inside her mind, the whirlwind of emotions, scattering like lightning towards multiple causes, or reasons. It was so strong, he felt like he could almost reach out and grab a hold of it, physically. He knew the lab was secure and sealed, so he nodded lightly. "Do it."

Alex drew in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. _Don't leave me, Kara. Not now. I need you, probably much more than you need me._ As her breath fled her lips, her finger came down on the button, pressing it. Behind the heavily shielded, strongly polarized goggles that she and Hank both wore, they watched the scene transform before them. There was a loud hum, which drew out for a few seconds, a loud, sharp crack, and a tremendous boom that shook the very ground they stood on like a rat in a terrier's grasp. The absolute darkness was suddenly lit up by a flash so incredibly and intensely bright that even through the goggles, tightly closed eyes, and solid shield of Promethium they'd stepped behind, was as visible as if they were standing in the middle of it.

X

The helicopter changed course drastically suddenly, and Joe looked out through the window, noticing that the direction was almost opposite of the way they'd been going. _That can't be right_ , he thought, looking up at Laurel. She was just as confused as he was, from the look of things. _If this is some plot Lord cooked up as a contingency plan for if he got caught, I'm going to do a rain dance on his ass._

"Pilot!" he yelled over the roaring of the rotors, looking towards the cockpit, his expression questioning, and daring someone to take exception to that fact. "Where are we going? What the hell is going on?" He was already unfastening his restraints, preparing for a fight if these guys had somehow been co-opted by Lord.

The pilot knew the Native was growing angry quickly, and given the fight they'd all just been through, he couldn't blame him at all. He quickly answered, "Change of orders, sir. Director Henshaw has rerouted us to rendezvous with the DEO facility in Los Angeles, where the detainees from National City are being temporarily relocated. We are to proceed with due haste, and no deviations."

Joe snapped his head around to look at Laurel, looking for her reaction to this news, to make sure he wasn't the only one that was concerned that this was something much different than what was originally planned. She didn't seem any more at ease than he did.

Laurel actually stood up, hanging onto a support bar, glancing over at her companion, then to the pilot. "Why are they being relocated, and why are we meeting up there? Has the base been compromised or something?" she asked, straining to be heard over the helicopter's rotors. She was of the same mind that Joe was: something wasn't adding up.

The pilot kept flying in the same direction, making adjustments to the instruments as needed. "It's because of the resuscitation attempt on Supergirl," he answered, his hand steady on the stick. "Agent Danvers advised Director Henshaw that the attempt would be more or less like setting off a—" He stopped abruptly in mid sentence, as something changed.

The something that changed was a terribly blinding light from the exact direction of the DEO base. The flash of light was intensely bright, even from the distance the helicopter was, something like fifteen miles or so, Joe guessed. There was also a sudden gust of wind, presumably from the atmospheric disturbance of the enormous flash of light scouring the landscape in the distance, centered on the covert base.

The aircraft finally leveled off, and flew straight again, and everyone aboard had regained their sight, albeit with brightly colored spots swimming around their vision. Joe squinted, looking back in the distance towards the base. Without binoculars or something similar, he couldn't really see the base. What he _could_ see, however, even in the dim light of twilight, was the enormous patch of black, scorched, and burning Earth, covering an area roughly ten times that of the area occupied by the base.

"Like setting off a nuclear bomb," Joe finished for the pilot after everything stabilized again. His horror grew the longer he looked at the patch of destruction in the mountains overlooking National City. Most of the city was completely dark, as if suffering from a massive blackout. Not liking the feeling rising in his gut, he gripped the support bar hard, and barked out in a tone that most would take as not about to put up with any dissension, "Pilot, get us back to base. _Now._ Agent Danvers, Director Henshaw, and Supergirl are back there. They may need medical attention, or worse."

"Sorry, sir, I have orders. We're to rendezvous at LA base, and await further instructions," replied the pilot briskly, but in a sympathetic voice. It was obvious that he was concerned, but the ingrained obedience to orders was interfering with that desire to find out what was happening. "No deviations. No matter what. Director Henshaw was quite explicit."

Laurel stepped forward, putting her hand on Joe's arm as she stood with him behind the cockpit. "You seem like a pretty sensible guy," she said, leaning down a little so the pilot could see her in the small mirror in the cockpit. "Your base looks like it was just wiped off the map in a matter of a second or so. The director of your entire agency, his right hand agent, and a woman who can throw Greyhound busses with less effort than we throw a Frisbee are all back there, at ground zero. Maybe they were vaporized in an instant by whatever that was, maybe they're just moments from death's door and need our help, or maybe they're somehow miraculously fine and you'll get your ass chewed for disobeying a minor order. Whatever they are, whatever their situation is, don't you think it would be best to find out? Look at the destruction, look at what happened as far away as National City. There could be others out there hurt, or dead, or worse. We can't just ignore them, potential others, and what very likely could be."

Seconds ticked by, with the pilot growing ever more nervous with each one. He glanced at his copilot several times, exchanged glances with him, and then looked back at Laurel and Joe. His hand shook for a moment, and then steadied on the stick. The aircraft made a wide loop, reversing course. The copilot alerted the other outbound craft of their disposition while the pilot glanced back. "You're right, ma'am," he said finally. "If the Director and the others are all right, and no one else is hurt, it'll be worth the ass chewing to see it for myself."

The two heroes went back to their seats, and Joe leaned across and half whispered to Laurel, "Man, I'm glad you're on _our_ side. You'd make one hell of a lawyer, if you ever wanted to get into that. That was really something." He wasn't just saying that, he meant every word.

Laurel smiled, but on the inside she was laughing. _If only you knew that I'm the lead Assistant District Attorney in Star City,_ she thought as the smile grew. Arguing a case was something that came naturally to her, and more often than not, she made a compelling case, as she had in this instance. _Maybe when all of this is over, I'll tell him who I really am. He's earned that much, at least. Now I know why Oliver only tells a very, very few who he is. And the ones he tells earn it, like Joe has._

Several minutes later, the pilot alerted them that they were on approach to the base. As they grew closer, Laurel and Joe both looked out the windows. The landscape was a scene from hell. The light of the blazing fires cast an eerie illumination over the carnage that lay before them.

The mountain where the base was situated looked as if a giant had come along with a fiery shovel and scooped an enormous chunk of the mountain up, leaving a massive black crater. The dirt and other materials were instantly fused into obsidian glass, from the looks of things, and there was still a very heavy concentration of flying dust in the air, choking anyone without a respirator for probably hours to come. The heat was oppressive, easily near one hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit, if that cool.

The chopper touched down on the edge of the crater, and the pilot dispensed respirators and other safety equipment to everyone aboard. The sun was almost completely down by now, but they had little trouble seeing. There was one lone structure standing near the epicenter that looked very much as if it had seen better days. The DEO agents sent out a couple of people to do recon as the rest explored what lay around them with wide and amazed eyes.

X

The CatCo Worldwide Media building shook as if in the midst of the worst earthquake in California since the Landers earthquake of 1992. Windows on it, and numerous buildings nearby exploded inward, just following the blinding flash of light that sprung up from somewhere in the mountains outside the city. In the chaos, James and Winn were looking out at the city. Their building had lights, but many buildings, some just a street over, were dark, as if the city suffered an enormous blackout.

James looked over at Winn, worry evident on his face. The wind was starting to die down, finally, and he fought to avoid the glass and overturned furniture. "You don't think...?" he asked Winn, glancing towards the window and back to his friend and coworker. The thoughts he was having, he didn't want to give voice to, even though he knew he should.

Winn glanced at the direction the light had come from, and whispered, "That's the general direction of the DEO base, where Alex works, and where they took Kara." He paused, swallowing, because he knew what he was suggesting, even if he wasn't intending to voice it. "Do you think they were there when it...it happened?"

James was interrupted before he could answer by the sharp voice of Cat Grant, who had stumbled out of her office, and was glaring at everyone collectively. "It was just a light, some wind, and an earthquake, people," she growled, trying to regain her balance, and not succeeding as well as she had hoped. "It's not as if the world just ended, so keep working. We need people on the ground, finding out what just happened. Reporters, film crews, the works. Why the hell are you still standing here, gawking out the windows at what's going on out there? Story, people, story, story, story! Go get it, and get it now!"

People scrambled to carry out Cat's orders, while James and Winn struggled to make sense out of what was happening. Winn was dialing Alex's number, anxiously waiting for an answer, but none was forthcoming. James watched his face as he tried calling, his hope was wavering in his chest. Winn shook his head as he put his phone away, and impulsively activated his signal watch.

Winn noticed this, and frowned. "Why are you using that?" he asked, his tone a soft whisper. "You saw what happened to Kara on the news. We may be the only people that know where she is, except those in the DEO, and since we haven't heard from her, I'd say that the Kryptonite poisoning hasn't gotten any better." Alex had at least called him on a brief call to tell him that much. She knew that Kara would want he and James to know what happened.

James frowned, and looked at his watch, thinking it over. "You're right," he finally said, his voice sounding almost resigned. "I think its just reflex, or wishful thinking, maybe. Whatever, it doesn't make any sense to use it now. We've got to figure out a new game plan until Kara comes back." He sighed again, and looked out the window once more, taking it all in. _If she comes back. No, I can't think like that._

In the background, Cat was yelling, and barking orders, and asking for the thousandth time where Kara was, but for James and Winn, it was all in the background. Just a little noise in the middle of a lot of chaos.

X

Blinding pain woke Alex up. The last thing she'd remembered was pushing the button to initiate the burst, the blinding light, horrendous noises and then darkness. There was pressure, hard pressure, across her leg, and she felt as if she weighed a ton. She slowly tried to get up, but to no avail. She couldn't move. Gasping from the pain, she tried to at least turn.

Looking around the lab as she did so, it looked like the lab had been picked up and rolled down a hill after being thrown down it by a pissed off giant. Thinking about it, that's probably not far from the truth of what happened. The lab had been upside down several times from the looks of it. Equipment was everywhere, computers smashed, and supplies strewn from one end of the lab to the other.

Suddenly, she started, and breathed out, "Kara... Hank, is Kara okay? Hank?" She tried to move again, and looked down at her leg. _Well, that explains why I can't move_ , she thought sourly. A shelf rack with lots of equipment on it had fallen over her. It looked like some other equipment held the majority of its weight, which kept it from breaking her legs, but enough weight was on it to keep her from moving.

Hank rose from a pile of equipment that was worth millions of dollars, now nothing more than twisted junk, and came to Alex's side. "I don't know if she is or not, just yet," he replied, lifting the equipment off of her with one hand, and helping to slide her to safety with the other. "I don't see or hear her at the moment. After that, I'm sure she's probably disoriented. She had a close call."

Finally, she was free, and they found their way to the exit, which was on the ceiling at the moment, thanks to the lab being thrown around by the force of the pulse. The outside of the lab looked like something out of some science fiction apocalyptic movie. The walls, ceiling and floor of the lab were almost pure Promethium, one of the strongest, hardest, most indestructible substances on Earth. It had been tested at temperatures rivaling the sun in intensity. It was melted into slag all over the outside of the lab. It was by sheer miracle that it hadn't melted all the way through. They'd been very, very lucky, they were both realizing.

Getting their bearings, the two agents moved towards the center of the crater, which was presumably ground zero, where the surge hit. The entire compound, and a few miles in every direction was gone. "It looks like I underestimated the intensity of the surge a little," she said offhandedly, still a bit dazed.

Hank chuckled softly, but it wasn't with much humor in it, "Yeah, I'd say that's a safe assumption. We're just lucky the damage wasn't much more massive than what was done. The power of a blue star is _much_ more potent than that of a yellow star, apparently."

Alex leaned on Hank's supporting arm, until she could get her balance. The ground was blasted into fine dust and slick obsidian glass, or something similar, and therefore the footing was treacherous. She stumbled several times, grateful for Hank's unwavering assistance. "Where is she? I figured she'd at least be up and walking around here somewhere, a little confused maybe, but I don't—"

Amidst all the black and gray, Alex and Hank both saw it at the same time. A slender Caucasian hand was hanging over the edge of the first ring of the crater, which had blue material around the wrist, as well as a deep red boot sticking up further down the edge. The crater was still smoking, sending long tendrils of smoke into the air. All the equipment had disintegrated during the surge, and what solid pieces of it that might remain were little more than small chunks of highly melted and remelted slag, formed by an intense and unusual reaction in the innate conversion process that solar energy generated.

Breaking away from Hank, Alex ran full tilt towards the crater, calling out at first, but growing louder and louder as she ran. "Kara? Kara!" She fell to her knees at the edge of the crater, which was about three feet deep it looked like, wherein Supergirl lay, eyes still closed. Her chest wasn't rising and falling. She wasn't breathing. The green tinge to her skin was lighter, but still visible. " _Kara!_ " she screamed, checking her sister's vitals, and finding no respiration, no pulse, no sign of life at all. The Kryptonian didn't stir. She was as still as the dead.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, _no!_ You _can't_ be dead! You _can't!_ I won't let you. I'm not ready to let you go! _Kara! Kara!_ " Medical training finally kicking in, she doubled her fists together, even as she screamed that she wouldn't let her little sister die, and slammed them into the Girl of Steel's chest. Her bones felt like they almost shattered, but luckily nothing was broken. She was beyond caring as she pounded on Supergirl's chest several times, tears starting to fall like rain, and her anguish was a hurricane of anger and sorrow. She struck again, but Supergirl didn't move any more than she had before. According to all the evidence Alex was seeing, Supergirl was dead. The surge had kept her from being disintegrated, but it hadn't been enough to save her life. The poisoning had apparently gotten too deep into her system, and affected too much.

Hank came to her side, and gripped her upper arms, pulling her back away from the crater, and Supergirl's lifeless body. Curling her to his chest, he held her tightly, feeling her pain, knowing what she must be going through. "There's nothing we can do, Alex," he said, his voice heavy with sorrow. "She's gone. She's gone and nothing we can do is going to bring her back. You don't need to be here, you don't need to be seeing her like this. Lord is going to pay, and pay dearly, for what he's done." The last part was full of venom. It was rare that J'Onn lost his temper to that degree, but his temper was gone now. He had failed both Supergirl and Alex, as well as Jeremiah, Alex's father. He swore that he'd take care of them, and he clearly had not been able to.

" _No!_ No, Hank, no!" Alex screamed, grabbing onto Supergirl's wrist, and holding on it a death grip. "You can't take me away from her! She's my sister! _Kara!_ " If her tears hadn't been profuse before, they certainly were now. Alex was in so much pain, the Martian could feel it radiating from her being like a star, without even opening his mind in order to read her mind. As far as Alex was concerned, her entire universe had just imploded upon itself.

The Martian, masquerading as a human, gently pulled Alex's fingers loose from Supergirl's wrist, and held her a moment, like he would hold a daughter if she were as distraught as Alex was. Alex finally let go, too tired to fight anymore. Kara's face was soft, serene, at peace. Hank hoped her spirit was at peace as well. She'd done a lot of good for National City, for the world. She wouldn't be forgotten. She'd be honored as the warriors, scholars, and statesmen of his people were honored before the war with the White Martians. He knew Alex and others would honor her as well, in their own ways, according to their own customs and comfort.

Something caught Hank's attention, and he looked up just in time to see a blur shoot from the sky, and snatch both he and Alex up in a grip of steel. Alex screamed, and lashed out against the one holding them as they flew through the sky faster than a fighter jet, but to no avail. The blurry being didn't even appear to notice.

X

"Look, there's something going on at the CatCo building," said Laurel, pointing to the very tall skyscraper coming up very closely to their position. Joe and the others looked, just in time to see what looked like someone dressed in dark clothing flying into the side of the building, presumably through a broken out window. Another flying figure appeared to be carrying someone as they, too, entered the building.

Joe frowned. The number of people who could fly was very small, he knew, especially here in National City. Something didn't seem right. "Put us down on the roof," he told the pilot, and the pilot nodded, beginning the approach.

The doors of the chopper were open, the team preparing to exit as soon as the aircraft landed. Before the chopper got into a place it could begin landing procedures, a person flew from the building in a blur, flew through the chopper from one side to the other, and by the time the crew blinked, Laurel and Joe were gone.

X

Hank and Alex landed abruptly as the person carrying them landed on the floor in the main offices of CatCo. They were shoved towards the group of people who worked there, in the center of the room. Seconds later, another flying person landed, holding Black Canary and Joe Swift, who were also shoved into the group of people. Questions buzzed around the group, quietly, but that didn't matter. Their collective captors could easily hear anything they said no matter how softly it was said at that distance.

Joe got up from where he was shoved onto the floor, at the feet of Cat Grant and James Olsen, and looked at the three guys that flew them, Hank, and Alex in. They were dressed oddly enough, and he was pretty sure that they were aliens, since they weren't wearing jet packs, and seemed as strong as Supergirl. "Who the hell are these asshats?" he asked with not a little irritation. He dusted himself off, and glared at the one that seemed to be the leader, a rather arrogant looking man, with close cropped sandy blonde hair. He reminded Joe of a much younger Malcolm McDowell, with the shape of his face and the color of his eyes.

"Kryptonians," answered Hank, standing near Alex and Winn, after getting up himself. "The 'gentleman' there is named Non. He's Supergirl's uncle by marriage. Its a shame that Supergirl's Aunt Astra didn't have better taste. A sad day for the House of El, I'm sure, when that marriage was set."

Non sneered, and swaggered back and forth a little, seeming entirely too pleased with himself. "You humans," he said, glaring at Hank with the intensity of a laser. "When you can't outwit, outsmart, or beat your adversary physically, you resort to petty insults, and...what is the human phrase? 'Talk trash?' Such a pathetic, boring little species you are."

Laurel wasn't impressed with their bravado. No one appeared to be, though most in the room feared the Kryptonians. "Yeah? Well, if we're so pathetic and boring, why don't you fuck off and find a planet more exciting to you? Say somewhere in the Crab Nebula or in the Andromeda galaxy, or something?" she queried, with more than a little venom dripping from her words.

"Well, well, well, I'd say the Black Canary should be more like the Black Hawk. She's got talons and loves to dig them in, I see," said a new voice. Another flying man had brought someone else in, but this one wasn't shoved into the group like the rest of them had been. "I like her. She's feisty, she's beautiful, and she's human." The Kryptonians all frowned at the man as he swaggered into the light like a ridiculously pompous ass, which he was.

"Maxwell Lord," Alex said, sounding as if she just swallowed the most vile poison in existence. "What the hell are you doing here? And why the hell are you with _them?_ " Again, her words were practically spit out, her disdain for Max very apparent. She was itching to lay into him and not stop until he was just a puddle of blood and mush under her fists.

Despite the bruises and lacerations he had gained to his face just recently at the hands of Joe Swift and the Black Canary, he seemed rather jovial. He smiled that fake, patronizing smile of his, so smug she was surprised his face didn't crack and fall off, and replied, "Oh, that's actually very simple. You see, its simple business. I killed Supergirl, taking a major thorn out of their side. They need certain materials and such to realize their plans, and leave the planet when its finished. Because I demonstrated such expertise by killing Supergirl, they agreed to break me out of DEO custody, so I could get them what they want, and then they'll give me what I want, namely their collective alien asses off _my_ planet. Then, of course, in their wake, I consolidate my power, and everybody is good, happy, and pleased. Or dead, if they're not."

"We'll be gone soon enough, human," said Non icily, his tone sharp enough to cut through steel. "Once we have the things we need, we'll leave, as promised, and you and your fellow humans can continue your petty fighting and killing each other. You'll be extinct within a half century at this rate. So enjoy your pathetic and pitiful rule while it lasts. You're barely one step above the creature that crawled from your primordial soup and spawned the life that would eventually devolve into the wretched species you are now."

"Now who's talking trash, Baryshnikov? It seems Kryptonians are pretty adept at pitiful insults and stuff too, or are you going to say that's something you learned here? If you did, you're a natural, Pajama Boy. You took right to it like a turd in a toilet," Joe said, scowling in disgust at the pissing contest Max and the Kryptonians were having, not to mention being herded like cattle into the middle of the room.

As quick as a blink, Non crossed the room, grabbed Joe by the throat, and lifted him easily off his feet, applying slow pressure to his throat. "I don't like you, human. You are too disrespectful of your betters. I tolerate Mr. Lord's insolence because he's an ally, and frankly, he can actually offer something. You, on the other hand, do not. So, I'm sorry to say... okay, I'm really not sorry, but platitudes, you know... I'm sorry to say that your life has no value, and is completely expendable."

Laurel, Alex, Hank, James and Winn all leaped forward in an attempt to tackle Non and get him to release Joe, but he swept them all away with the back of his hand, sending them all flying across the room, colliding with support columns, cubicle walls and furniture. Each hit the ground with a thud, and followed up with groans, to which Max damned near giggled with glee over.

There was a series of loud, almost deafening booms that echoed through the air, and a blast of wind blowing through with the force of a tornado. Everyone, including the Kryptonians, tried to find what was causing the disturbances, but none of them could see anything. Suddenly, Non's head snapped back with a loud smack, and he skyrocketed through the roof, and before anyone could blink, the other Kryptonians were flying backwards through holes already there, or new ones they just made from the loud cracks that sounded like lightning crackling through the sky.

Non came back down through the hole in the ceiling, visibly very angry, and searched around the room. "Who are you?" he demanded to the air. "Show yourself, and let's settle this properly. I at least want to see who I'm killing." His eyes were burning an orange white, his heat vision firing up to let it blast against whoever had injured he and his men.

Muffled screams came from an office chair to the side of the room, and there sat Maxwell Lord, bound in yards of electrical cord, with something stuffed into his mouth, and tape around his mouth and head at least three times. All of this was done without anyone seeing who had done it, not even Non.

Hank was watching with rapt attention as he wiped his mouth clean of the blood that flowed from it, and he helped Alex and the others up. _Whoever this is, they're incredibly fast, much faster than Kara or Superman. Stronger too, if the efficient dispatching of the Kryptonians is any indication. Wonderful. Now we have a new potential alien threat._

Suddenly, in the shrouded darkness across the room, behind Non and the rearriving other Kryptonians, eyes glowing bright bluish white suddenly appeared. The way they sparkled and glowed, no one, not even Hank, was sure of what they were dealing with.

A voice rang out from the dark, obviously angry, and more, they seemed settled on ending this whole fiasco with every degree of finality. "Non, you always were a preening, arrogant bastard who dreamed big for such a little man. You want to play? Come on. Let's play."

Before Non could even answer, twin beams of bluish white heat and light shot from the darkness like intangible swords, slamming into Non's body and shoving him back through the wall, and through two other buildings. Everything in the immediate vicinity of the person in the shadows burst into small flames, and their eerie, flickering light cast very pale light on the speaker's face, their eyes still glowing. There was a collective gasp from everyone in the room.


	9. Chapter 8

**AN** – I hope you've been enjoying so far, and again, please review, tell me what you like, or didn't like. Positive or negative, comments help me write better. Life hasn't exactly slowed down, but I had a few moments to try and put this together.

 **Chapter 8**

"What the...how the _hell_...?" asked Alex of no one in particular as she stared at a sight she couldn't believe. The voice in the shadows, the one who had just blasted Non across several blocks, through several buildings, was _Kara!_ The last time she'd seen her sister, she lay dead in a crater, with the nucleus, where she lay, being three feet deep. Yet, here she was, alive, well, and kicking ass with a vengeance. She was awed, because as strong as Kara was, as powerful as she was, right now, she seemed _at least_ ten times stronger, perhaps more.

 _How the hell did that happen? Are Kryptonians who die instantly resurrected with even more power than before?_ raced Alex's thoughts, still disbelieving of her own eyes. The scientist in her tried to reason out what had happened, and how. This couldn't possibly be some sort of freakish genetic rebirth or something. Kryptonian physiology, for all its differences from human physiology, wasn't _that_ different in the grand scheme of things. They had similar organs, similar bodily systems, and features in common with humans. Their molecular structure was just much more dense and their cells could hold more potential energy than a human's could. That was about it. That was a large part of where their powers under hotter and brighter suns than their native sun came from. There were other factors involved as well, but those were two large ones.

Winn, who'd been fearing the worst, realized it was her and called out, "Ka—Supergirl!" more in surprise and shock than in trying to get her attention. He couldn't believe his eyes, and from the look on James' face, neither could he. After seeing the news report on the fight with the drone, they were both certain she was dead, even though neither would admit it or say it out loud.

With a growl of rage, one of the other Kryptonians suddenly lunged at Winn and Cat, his outstretched hands just a breath away from clutching their throats. As quick as lightning, Joe, who had been crouched somewhat on the floor, leaped up, slamming his shoulder into the Kryptonian's chest, slamming him upwards and well away from the CatCo employees. His shoulder felt like it was on fire from the pain, but he wasn't about to stop, even though he knew the Kryptonian could literally shred him in less time than it took for him to think the thought.

 _Goddamn, no wonder they call Superman the "Man of Steel,"_ he thought in that surreal way that random thoughts pass through your mind in times of extreme stress and chaos. _Hitting this guy was like hitting an anvil the size of Texas!_ He didn't let up, though. As soon as the Kryptonian's trajectory was changed, he whirled in the air, his foot connecting with the alien's jaw. It felt like he'd kicked the _Titanic_ , but it managed to snap the Kryptonian's head around, and send his flying form reeling backwards a couple of steps.

That was all Laurel needed. She'd been similarly crouched near Joe, and when he leaped, she activated her collar and opened her mouth and screamed like she'd never screamed before. Wave upon wave of sonic energy bombarded the disoriented alien. His super hearing, which was of such a benefit, was now suddenly one of his worst enemies. While the Canary Cry was insanely loud and painful for a human, for a Kryptonian who was actually using his super hearing, it was like being electrocuted by a hundred thousand volts for a human. His ears, nose, and eyes bled from the sonic attack, which Laurel had tightened her vocal chords to make the sonic disturbance very narrow in scope, and more powerful. The Kryptonian dropped to the floor, unconscious, bleeding, and quite probably deaf.

The other Kryptonians, seeing what had just happened to Non, and what the two humans were doing to their compatriot, leaped forward, intending to dismember Joe and Laurel like paper dolls. Supergirl suddenly sprang into action. She grabbed the first Kryptonian by the throat, squeezing hard enough to draw blood from his trachea, but not enough to crush it, and threw him downwards at the floor. He exploded through the floor, and every floor beneath it, through the basement, and about fifty yards into the ground below the basement. The noise was horrendous, almost as deafening as Laurel's Canary Cry, and the entire building shuddered with the sudden weakening of its structure. That whole side of the city rumbled and shook as if an earthquake had suddenly hit all at once.

The young heroine instantly whirled in midair, caught the second Kryptonian by the scruff of the neck, and with a loud roar, punched him hard in the stomach and solar plexus. The blow came from below and was directed straight up, and the Kryptonian skyrocketed through the ceiling and the floors above, and flew like a comet towards the stratosphere. There were three distinct booming sounds in the distance as the Kryptonian flew fast enough to break the sound barrier three times.

In the midst of all this, Alex and Hank sprang forward, tackling the remaining two Kryptonians. Hank slammed both his fists into the Kryptonian's jaw, the sound like a train crashing as the alien reeled back a step from the blow. The disguised Martian kept up his onslaught. He couldn't appear to be stronger than a well developed human in front of the CatCo employees, so he pulled his punches.

While possessing extremely superhuman strength, the Martian was still not nearly as strong as the Kryptonians, but he was strong enough to keep them busy. Using his telepathic abilities, something no one else in the room could see, he attacked the Kryptonian's mind, sending sharp daggers of pain slamming through the alien's mind. The Kryptonian staggered backwards, and Hank hammered at him a few more times, knocking him out a hole finally, into the night sky beyond.

Alex leaped into a flying kick, aimed at the Kryptonian's jaw. She felt like she slammed into a Promethium wall at full speed, but she had managed to catch him off guard enough to turn his head with the blow. She hit the ground rolling, not giving him a chance to reorient himself and come after her. Instantly, she drew the dagger she carried at all times in a lead lined sheath, its blade made of Kryptonite. It was a matching piece for the sword that she had killed Kara's Aunt Astra with, and she carried it for just such an eventuality, with the Kryptonians still licking their wounds from their last defeat.

She winced as she drew it, because as close quarters as they were all in, the Kryptonians would feel the glowing mineral's effects, but so would Supergirl. She chanced a glance at her sister, as the Kryptonian she was fighting suddenly looked ill, and even more so when she slashed across his chest, leaving a deep furrow that bled heavily. For all intents and purposes, it looked like Supergirl barely noticed the presence of the Kryptonite. She was stunned for fractions of a second, and a little weaker, but so little it was barely noticeable. Though she was happy that Kara wasn't being badly weakened and hurt by the Kryptonite, she was a little frightened of what that could mean if the Kryptonians figured out whatever it was that happened to her sister, and found a way to duplicate it.

The slashed Kryptonian was weakening by the second, with the microscopic particles of Kryptonite lodged in the tissues of his wound. He fell from the air to the ground, going nearly to his knees as he struggled to fight off the weakness and kill Alex. Unfortunately for him, his strength wasn't much more than a human's at this point, and his invulnerability was barely working enough to save him from pain, which she smiled about as that thought occurred to her.

With a fierce look, she savagely kicked out and slammed her foot into the alien's groin, doubling him over in the most intense pain he'd felt since he had been back home on Krypton. As he started bending over, Alex leaped upwards and slammed her elbow into the back of his head as she fell, the crack of bone against bone loud in the room. Simultaneously, she lifted her knee hard, cracking him soundly across the nose and face, sending him somersaulting backwards to land in a belly flop, unconscious on the floor.

Alex limped on the foot that she'd first kicked the Kryptonian with, as Hank made sure the others were incapacitated, along with Laurel and Joe's help. She turned towards Supergirl, going towards her when a blur suddenly flew into a hole in the side of the building. Non's arms wrapped around Supergirl as he roared a rage filled yell, intending to fly her through a wall, and then who knew what else he had in store?

Much to Non's surprise, Supergirl planted her feet, and while Non moved her, he slid her perhaps ten feet across the floor before she stopped, which stopped his flying tackle quite dead in its apex. The concrete beneath the floor covering buckled and furrowed under Supergirl's feet gaining traction against the raging Kryptonian, but she went no further.

Non's arms went a little slack around her body as he looked up at her in shock, raising his head from his still lowered position. Supergirl smiled slowly, and tilted her head. "My turn," she said with not a little satisfaction. She thrust her upper arms outward to break her uncle's hold on her, and with her fists doubled, she raised them at super speed, slamming her fists into Non's chin, and propelled him fast and hard through the roof, and into the night sky, a second comet she'd initiated that night. His howl of rage, and pain, followed him out of the building.

The building was unearthly quiet, all attention focused on Supergirl, who was not only very alive, but seemed more vigorous and dramatically more powerful than she'd ever displayed before. All traces of the green tint to her skin was gone, and she practically glowed with a very light, very pale blue aura around her. The Kryptonians who remained in, or under, the building were either unconscious, or wished they were.

DEO agents came through the holes in the roof, on zip lines, and started rounding up the fallen Kryptonians, putting them in Kryptonite restraints at Hank's orders. The others hadn't returned yet, and they were all pretty sure they were licking their wounds rather than being too eager to gain more. But everyone knew they'd be back before too long, and when that time came, they'd be even more prepared to lay waste to National City and the Earth before claiming it as their own and reforming it in their vision of what Krypton should have been.

 _Are you okay?_ Hank projected into Supergirl's mind, via his telepathy. His face was an expression of concern, and awe, an odd combination. _For a dead woman, you're looking particularly vigorous. Alex was traumatized by the belief that you'd died and she'd lost you. It may take her some time to adjust to things, and reconcile it in her mind. You'll want to give her some time, I think._

As the DEO agents worked, and Alex sheathed her Kryptonite dagger, Supergirl looked around the room, smiling lightly at Joe, Laurel, James, and Winn. They obviously couldn't believe their eyes, but they looked happy, all the same. Cat was lucid, but uncharacteristically quiet, staring at the carnage that had been wrought in her building, and at the apparently resurrected Girl of Steel. The media mogul looked at Supergirl, and moved her mouth, whispering very softly, "Thank you, Supergirl."

Supergirl felt a slight flush come on, but she recovered quickly, and nodded very subtly at Cat, acknowledging her thanks, though she didn't need it. Her mind swirled, and she replied to Hank without speaking, because she knew he'd hear her. _I'm fine. I'm better than fine, actually. I've never felt this...this alive before. Its as incredible to me now as it was experiencing my powers for the first time as a thirteen year old when I first landed here._

She glanced at Alex, who was exercising extreme willpower to resist leaping into a hug with her, and squeezing her as hard as she possibly could. She felt that same urge, but she knew if she did, as she was at this moment, she'd probably shatter every bone in her body unintentionally. She was still getting used to the extra power she had, and she didn't want to chance such a thing.

Her mind continued speaking to Hank, _I know she was, and I'd give anything in the universe to take that all away, and put things back the way they were. She'll have all the time she needs. She's my sister, and I love her. I could do no less for the woman that is not only my only family, besides my adopted mother, but also the one I suspect saved my life. That's a debt you can never fully repay, and one that remains in your mind from now on. The fact that it was done, not only because it was the right thing to do, but because of love and the sense of family, makes it all the more potent and intense. And she wasn't the only one. I also have you, Joe, and the Black Canary to thank as well. So, thank you, Hank, with all the sincerity I have._

The Martian nodded solemnly at her, making sure that it wasn't obvious what he was nodding at, and went off with the team after asking after everyone's health, eager to get the Kryptonians into nice, safe cells before they regained their senses and their ability to hurt anyone. Meanwhile, Alex was getting the scattered gear together, and now and then cast furtive glances at Supergirl. It was obvious she was wanting to meet somewhere away from here, where she could talk freely, and express what she was feeling.

Supergirl walked to the assembled group of CatCo employees, Joe and Laurel, and looked them over for a moment. The light bluish aura around her had gotten somewhat dimmer, Joe and Laurel noticed. She put her hands together nervously, and cleared her throat. "I'd like to take this moment to apologize to all of you, each and every one of you, and to National City as a whole, for the danger you've experienced, and all the bad that has come while I've been...away. I'm truly sorry that I let you down, but I promise you, that will never happen again, not while I draw a breath, or can twitch a finger."

During the confusion, the two cameramen that were being detained had started filming everything, and got the entire epic battle on tape. They were still filming, pointed directly at Supergirl, and the group of people around her.

She felt her eyes start to water up, and wiped it away quickly, meeting each and every person's eyes with hers, and continued, "I can't explain what happened to me, right now. I'm as much in the dark as you are. All I know is that while I was down, many of you stepped up into a place that you should never have had to step into. You didn't give in, you didn't give up. That takes far greater courage than one thinks.

"Of all of you, the agents of the government that are leaving as we speak, and the Black Canary, and Joe Swift, particularly took on far, far more than they should have had to." She walked to where Laurel and Joe stood, and moved between them, a hand on each of their shoulders. "Many people think that the Black Canary of Star City, and the mysterious man who has been saving people and stopping street level crime in the city are vigilantes, and should be hunted down, and jailed, like the criminals they take down. If you ask me, they're heroes of the truest sense of the word, and I, for one, will always be proud of the association I have with them, however small it might be."

Turning to Laurel and Joe, she shook each of their hands, and turned back towards the group, and the cameras before regarding them once more, "Thank you, both of you, for stepping above and beyond the call of duty, above and beyond the expectations of any man or woman, and helping keep National City, and its citizens, safe from harm. Moreover, thank you both for being part of the effort that saved my life, and for continuing to safeguard my life further, tonight, here in this very room. I, very literally, couldn't have done it without you, and without the agents that left a short time ago. If there's ever anything, and I mean _anything_ , I can do for either of you, please tell me, and I'll do so happily."

Joe looked a little uncomfortable suddenly thrust into the limelight, especially with it being made clear that he was, indeed, the mysterious person who did what he could to help as much as he could. This wasn't what he had planned at all, but he had one comforting thought, _Well, it could be worse. They could want to lynch me. But really, who's going to turn down, or complain about, an endorsement from Supergirl?_

Loud cheers and clapping ensued as Supergirl smiled and bowed slightly to them. A somewhat embarrassed flush came over her as they shouted out various things, all positive and reassuring. While the cameramen and reporters mobbed Laurel and Joe, she took a few moments to speak with James and Winn, thanking them for being there for her, and admitting of how close she came to losing them, and everything else, and that she was very thankful to have them in her life.

Finally, Alex returned to give Laurel and Joe a lift out of the chaos, and get them back to the makeshift DEO headquarters that was used as a backup in case the main facility had been compromised. It was located about twenty miles from the main facility, and they flew there in a helicopter. Supergirl waved to the crowd, and told Alex she'd meet up with them shortly.

X

About an hour after leaving CatCo, Supergirl came into the closed room within the backup DEO facility, where Hank, Alex, Laurel and Joe were talking. The room was protected, and sealed off from outside systems after Hank overrode the security protocols to make it so. The conversation happening in there wasn't for just any ears.

After a few moments of small talk after Supergirl came in, Laurel drew a deep breath, and looked at each of them in turn. "There's a reason I asked this room to be secured," she began, looking a bit nervous. "What I'm about to say...its very difficult, and its not the sort of thing I want getting out. Normally, I don't do this...but if my association with the Green Arrow has taught me anything, its taught me to trust the people you work with. In this business, they're like family, and family doesn't keep things from family."

She definitely had their attention, and they were all wondering what it was that she was going to say. Laurel's hands moved up to her face, and slowly, she pulled the mask from her face that hid her identity. Breathing a bit easier after that, she smiled, "My name is Dinah Laurel Lance, and I'm the Lead Assistant District Attorney for Star City. You can call me Laurel, if you don't mind. Dinah is my mother. I'm the Black Canary, obviously."

Even Supergirl was surprised. She'd been very careful not to use her x ray vision to peek under the mask, even though she'd been tempted once or twice. The fact that Laurel trusted them, trusted _her_ with her secret meant a great deal to her.

"Wait a minute," said Joe, laughing and slowly shaking his head. "I've heard of you. You're the ADA that went ballistic on the crime and underworld in Star City, and single handedly brought more cases to court, and got convictions, than the other ADA's combined? That made headlines even in Gotham, a shining beacon for justice, they called you and the SCPD. Holy shit!"

"Gotham?" asked Laurel, incredulously. "That's literally all the way across the country! How the hell did news about that travel that far?" She was flattered that someone obviously thought enough of her achievements to mention them in another city, but one literally thousands of miles away, on the other coast? That floored her.

"Good news travels far and fast, Laurel," said Alex with a smile, patting her shoulder. "Good deeds are like ripples in a pond. Drop the pebble and let them spread. I, for one, am honored to meet both the Black Canary, and Laurel Lance, Star City ADA."

"As are we all," intoned Hank, shaking her hand once more. "If I'd known we had two celebrities in one among us, I'd have thrown a bigger party." He chuckled deeply, warmly regarding the people in his company. "Though its a bit late, welcome to National City."

The director of the DEO took a deep breath, and looked at them, then focused on Laurel. "You're right, you know. We are a sort of family here, in this room. And like you said, family doesn't keep things from family. So while I'm about to tell you this, I'd really appreciate it not going any further than this room."

Laurel and Joe both agreed, though they weren't sure exactly what they were agreeing to. It sounded like Hank was about to reveal the fact that there were aliens on Earth long before Superman, or something along those lines. So, as a result, they were understandably curious.

Hank's features suddenly started quivering, then shifting and changing. His entire body underwent a tremendous transformation. Where the dark skinned, formidable looking human had stood, there was now a much taller green skinned alien, dressed in a blue cape with red and blue clothing. In a deep voice, he spoke, "My name is J'Onn J'Onzz, and I am the last living Green Martian that I know of. On Earth, years ago, they called me the Martian Manhunter. Where we failed our home planet of Mars, I protect your world, Earth, in secret, disguised as Hank Henshaw. I appreciate your understanding, and your secrecy."

Joe and Laurel both had a look on their faces as if their minds had been blown. Two earth shattering secrets revealed within moments of each other. This definitely wasn't what they were expecting when they came to this facility with the DEO agents. As one, both Laurel and Joe responded with an awe tinged, "No problem." Neither of them was sure they were awake, because they both had been around an alien, besides Supergirl, and didn't even know it.

A moment or two of silence ensued, and Alex glanced over at her sister, curious, because if she knew her sister, and she did, very well, then she was almost certain of what was about to happen next. It would be the next logical step, and as everybody had agreed, family didn't keep things from family.

Supergirl cleared her throat, and looked at everyone silently for a moment. She was obviously nervous, and she was fiddling with something in her hand. "Since we're all sharing," she began, trying not to be too nervous, she met Laurel and Joe's eyes steadfastly. "Most people think I don't have a secret to keep safe, and I'd really appreciate it if that remained the case."

The two guests were absolutely silent, though their curiosity was running rampant. Was Supergirl about to reveal what she did when she wasn't flying around National City, saving people? Neither one of them could breathe, until Joe looked over at Alex, and cracked a smile. "Let me guess," he said, winking at here. "Next, you're going to reveal to us that you're who? Wonder Woman?"

"Ha!" exclaimed Alex, laughing, and shaking her head. "Don't I wish? To be seriously badass, super powerful, _and_ hot? Every girl's dream, let me tell you. No, I'm just plain old Alex Danvers, bio engineer and DEO agent."

Everyone laughed, including Supergirl, though hers was a bit nervous still. Finally, she raised her hands to her lowered face, and when she raised her head, she was wearing glasses, and suddenly, for Joe, everything fell into place.

"You? _You're_ Supergirl?" He laughed, not able to believe what he was seeing, but somehow, he knew on some primal instinctive level that there was something more between Kara Danvers and Supergirl than a superficial resemblance. Now he knew for sure. "Kara Danvers, sweet, unassuming, nice as they come, as American as apple pie executive assistant to Cat Grant is really Supergirl? Now _there's_ a holy shit moment!"

They all shared a laugh, and traded comments and stories for the next couple of hours. Whatever distance had remained between them had melted away into nothingness by the end of the conversation.


	10. Chapter 9

**AN** – Life is still crazy, but I'm trying to grab more opportunities to write as I can. Thank you to all of you who have favorited and followed this story. I greatly appreciate it. As always, I encourage you to read, and review, let me know what you think. That helps me more than you know.

 **Chapter 9**

Maxwell Lord stood in his cell, yelling at Supergirl, who stood beyond it, just watching him. In some ways, she actually felt sorry for him. With his resources, his intellect, and his connections, he could truly do some wonderful and good things for the world. His company was light years ahead of most in many areas, rivaled only by places like Lexcorp, Kord Industries, Palmer Technologies, Wayne Enterprises, Mercury Labs and STAR Labs. Other such places were close, but those were among the giants in those fields.

Lord's fanatical, all but insane irrational hatred for, and fear of, aliens, the threat of alien takeover and war with extraterrestrial forces had led him down the dark path he strode. His fanaticism even extended to metahumans, and any other manner of person with abilities that the average person didn't have. People that did a lot of good for their cities and the world, like the Flash, Green Arrow, Batman, and so on. Basically, if they had powers, used extremely expensive equipment, or wore some sort of costume or mask, they were automatically the enemy in Maxwell Lord's eyes. This is why he was so vehemently against Supergirl, and those like her.

His shouting grew louder and more agitated, all but slamming his fists into the transparent walls of his cell, screaming at Supergirl. However, the Girl of Steel wasn't really listening to him. She had visited her uncle, Non, in his own containment cell, mostly watching, and doing very little talking, while he raved and vowed revenge on her and all dear to her, and the usual other ranting he would do whenever he was around. Now, she was here, trying to determine what could have possessed Max to work with Non, but also what had possessed Non to work with Max. One would think their own particular brands of megalomania would prevent such an alliance from even being considered, let alone consummated. Yet, they had done exactly that, despite all the things working in opposition of one another between them.

The doors behind her slid open, and Joe walked into the room, pausing to look around at the containment facility, whistling softly in appreciation. "This is a far cry from the Gotham City Police Department's drunk tank," he quipped lightly as he approached the Daughter of Krypton. He nodded towards Lord, and glanced over at her. "He's a few cans short of a case, it sounds like to me. I always thought he was a flaky bastard."

"Yeah," breathed Supergirl in what sounded like exhausted agreement. She turned towards the Cherokee, and raised her brows. "What is it?" she asked, looking his face over for a moment. "You have the look of one bearing news of some kind." Once more, the thought that he was rather handsome, on top of being probably the most honorable man she'd ever met, aside from her adopted father, Kal El, and J'Onn, ran through her mind. It was a casual appreciation, not so much a giddy schoolgirl crush, but it was the truth, all the same, at least from her perspective.

The Native chuckled as they exited the containment cell area, and the door closed behind them. "Alex said something about wanting to talk to you, in 'your room,' she called it," he replied. "She thinks she might have some answers for you, to those questions we've all been asking." That was putting it mildly. A lot of questions had come up, over pretty much everything, since this whole mess started. Supergirl wasn't the only one asking them.

The news seemed to invigorate Supergirl considerably. The faint blue aura she'd been projecting had dimmed dramatically during the fight with the Kryptonians, and had virtually disappeared by the time she had returned to the DEO backup headquarters after repairing as much of the city as she could, in the space of two hours. Their little conversation had helped her find peace of mind as she had helped the clean up crews already beginning work on the heavily damaged city. She also seemed to feel exhausted, which led to even more theorizing by her sister.

"Thanks, Joe," she said with a smile, which looked good returning after several hours without it on her face. "I'll see you in a while. You guys don't go anywhere, all right?" She was, of course, talking about him, but also Laurel, which both of them had become members of Supergirl's inner circle now.

Joe nodded, starting to head the opposite direction from the way Supergirl was headed. "Of course not," he replied with a smile, giving her a playful wink over his shoulder. "Oh yeah," he remembered as he was about to part company with her. "James and Winn are here, too. They got in a few minutes ago. They seem kind of anxious to see you."

Supergirl could imagine that they were. After all that had happened, what they'd probably seen in the news reports, what they'd most likely heard, and more, it would be odd if they _weren't_ anxious to see her. "Tell them I'll come see them right after I see what Alex wants," she called over her shoulder. She was hurrying towards the room in question, what Alex called her Chamber of Solitude, her version of Kal El's Fortress of Solitude.

"Sure thing," replied Joe, already moving away. He was happier knowing that she was all right, and somewhat back to her normal self. It had been a very close call, and if something had happened to her, permanently, he wasn't sure how the city, or the rest of the world, would take it.

Stepping outside, Supergirl immediately took to the sky, flying in the direction of the base that had been decimated in the blast that had revived her. Sonic booms sounded as she shattered the sound barrier several times.

X

She landed outside the blackened and decimated landscape where the DEO headquarters had been housed, partially above ground, partially below ground, in the mountains in the desert area near National City. Of the entire base, only the Chamber of Solitude had survived, mostly because it was deeper underground than most of the rest of the base, and too, it was built using, and was full of, Kryptonian technology and materials, ensuring that it wouldn't be easily violated if ever discovered, not even by Non and his flunkies.

She approached the door and wall, which was deeply blackened by the fallout from the blast, and the ring that identified her glowed, and the computer voice intoned, "Identity verified. Welcome, Kara Zor El." The door slid easily aside, allowing her to enter the room, a largely cavernous structure, with many wonders that had been on Krypton before its destruction.

Inside, Alex stood near a dais where a holoprojector was housed. On the platform stood the image of her mother, Alura Zor El. Much like she had been the last time Kara had seen her, she was dressed in a nicely appointed blue dress, long in length, and her hair hung freely about her shoulders. "Hello, my Kara," the image of her mother greeted her as she entered. The door had already closed, and she moved closer to Alex.

"Joe said you wanted to talk to me?" she asked, coming near her sister, not surprised that the image of her mother followed her movements. Though it was essentially an artificial intelligence computer program, it contained memory engrams of her mother's mind, and even some of her personality. Turning to the hologram, she mustered a smile, and replied, "Hello, mom."

Alex put down what she had been working on, and immediately grabbed Supergirl in a tight hug, holding her for long moments, in silence. She couldn't believe she'd come so close to losing her little sister, and that knowledge terrified her that there was something that _could_ come that close to killing her, especially in the hands of someone like Maxwell Lord. Alex wouldn't have hugged her like this back at the backup base, because there she was all business. Her, she was free to simply be Kara's older sister, and free to show the relief and affection she was feeling. There was no embarrassment for either of them here, though Kara didn't mind the public affection nearly as much as it embarrassed Alex.

"Yeah, I do," replied Alex, letting go of Supergirl finally. She picked the tablet back up that she'd been working with, and showed it to her sister. "We were trying to figure out what happened, why it took so long for you to revive, even with the more powerful blue solar energy we shot you with, and why you seemed so much stronger and powerful. Between our calculations, and information that Alura has, we think we might have figured it out." She turned her attention to the hologram, and asked, "Could you explain it please, Alura?"

"Of course, Alex," replied the image of Alura, nodding slightly towards the human. She turned to address Supergirl directly. "When we first considered sending both Kal El and you to Earth, your uncle Jor El had come up with a theory that the Kryptonian dense molecular structure, when combined with the greater energy output of a younger, hotter and brighter star, as well as the comparatively lighter gravity Earth possesses, would result in the both of you being much more than what you were on Krypton. That you would most likely develop abilities unlike any human possessed."

Supergirl listened without comment as the hologram of her mother continued, "The atmosphere on Earth is thinner than that of Krypton, but it allows more of certain types of radiation and energies to permeate its protective layers, which also contribute to the amazing things you can do on Earth, my daughter. As a result, because Sol, as the humans call their sun, is yellow, it is considerably brighter and hotter than Rao, the sun of Krypton. This results in greater energy output, and of higher quality, which energizes your cells much more so than you received on Krypton. Humans don't develop powers like this because their molecular structure, their DNA, all of it is precisely calibrated for this environment, where yours and Kal El's are not."

The hologram paused, allowing Supergirl to digest these details. She remembered several conversations between her mother and father, and her Uncle Jor El and Aunt Lara. They spoke of this theory, and she recalled it well enough to fill in some of the gaps already. The image of Alura went on, "By the principles of this same theory, Jor El postulated that if such a condition could occur on Earth, with its sun several magnitudes of brightness and power more than that of Rao, and the other conditions present on Earth itself, and result in such abilities, then if you increased the magnitude of brightness and power even more, under white or blue solar energy, your abilities would increase geometrically in accordance with the new conditions you'd find yourself in. Your abilities would correlate with the same exponential expression as the differences between solar environments. Thus, you would be perhaps a hundred to a thousand or more times more powerful under a blue sun, depending on the quality and power of the solar energy you were inundated with. Possibly even much more, on the order of ten thousand times the comparative power, if the conditions were right."

As the hologram grew quiet for a moment, Supergirl's mind was racing over all this information, finding that it made a remarkable amount of sense, even though she herself was not a qualified scientist. She was intelligent, and while she understood many scientific principles, theoretical quantum and molecular mechanics of this advanced degree were something she needed to digest a while, and piece it together, little by little. It would make perfect sense to Alex, who was a bio engineer, among other things, and a very accomplished scientist in her own right, as were her parents.

When it was apparent that Supergirl had grasped everything adequately to process, Alura continued, "Alex was the one who bridged the gap between Jor El's theory, and the events that took place with your exposure to high magnitude blue solar radiation. She is remarkably intuitive with such theoretical extrapolation, and a definite credit to the scientific community of Earth. They are several centuries behind Krypton in scientific and technical advancement, yet she was able to not only grasp the theory, but come to its logical conclusion, where even Jor El was not certain, nor was your father."

Alex's face burned a little red, flushed with mild embarrassment of what the image of Alura had said. It was odd to be the one being praised in such a manner, in her mind. She was so accustomed to Kara receiving the whole "what a remarkable achievement" comments. She had been jealous, as a teenager, but that had quickly evaporated as the girls spent more time together and grew closer.

The human shrugged, and tried to play it off. "It's a very simple 'if then' problem," she said quietly. "Quite simply, if this is true, with these conditions, then if you change the conditions in this way, then this must be true as well. Simple principle acceleration dynamics." She tried to wave it off as no big deal, but she couldn't help being a little proud that even an artificial intelligence didn't see her being human as some sort of handicap.

"Anyway, Kara," she went on, touching her sister on the shoulder, "what happened was actually something I should have predicted. Your invulnerability, and several of your other abilities are autonomic, so they're on all the time. You can't turn them on and off, like breathing, or your heartbeat. When the blue solar energy hit you, it instantly charged your cells enough that your invulnerability kicked in, or you'd have been disintegrated. I wasn't counting on the fact that the healing and regeneration your invulnerability gives you as a byproduct would kick in more slowly. So while you were invulnerable instantly because of the full charge all at once, it took a while for the regeneration to flush the Kryptonite particles out of your body, and repair the damage that had been done to your body by them. That's why you were essentially 'dead,' until the regeneration kicked in enough that you started breathing again, your heart started beating again, and you regained consciousness."

"And judging by how long it took me to regain consciousness, I was damaged pretty severely," finished Supergirl, her voice trailing off in thought, and awe at just how close she'd come to actual death. "With a burst that concentrated and that powerful, I should have regenerated and woke up a lot sooner, if I hadn't been so severely damaged. Its like being a car wreck victim who dies on the operating table, but is revived just in time before brain damage sets in."

Alex nodded softly, giving Kara another tight hug. "That's it, essentially, yes. Moreover, it seems as if your energy dissipation from the fight with Non and his goons, and the repair efforts you made in the city have depleted your cells of the blue solar energy, so you're working on rebuilding your reserves of yellow solar energy again, like normal. I'm just so glad you came through, Kara. If something had happened to you...if you had died...there's no telling what I would have done to Max. Every principle I have would have been out the window, and I'd be just as bad as he is, but I wouldn't care. All that would have mattered to me was that he had killed you, and by God, he would have to pay for that, and pay dearly. You're a beacon of hope, of light, Kara, not just for me, or for National City, but for everyone."

Kara understood the emotional whirlwind Alex was going through. If something like that had happened to Alex, she had no idea if her unwavering belief that everyone had good in them somewhere, and her dedication to seeking that good out and bringing it to the surface would have remained intact. That wasn't something she wanted to imagine, ever, let alone have to actually deal with.

As they parted from their hug, Alex pointed to Kara's chest. "You once told me that this symbol, the coat of arms for the House of El, was the Kryptonian glyph for 'hope.' You live up to, and embody, that hope every single day. You probably believe that I think you're naive and silly for thinking that way, but I don't. Not even close. I admire you more than I can tell you for being able to see that in others, for believing it, even when everything says you're wrong. Its a trait I wish I had. I can't stand being so suspicious and cynical, even though I pretty much have to be in this job."

The two girls, from worlds so far removed from one another that it was only by the most bizarre circumstances imaginable that they ever stood under the same sun together, but couldn't be more sisters if they shared blood, hugged each other tightly again. The image of Alura, Kara's real mother, smiled brightly, watching the two of them. In that moment, the personality and memory of the real Alura showed itself as surely as if the Kryptonian herself had been standing right there, witnessing the entire thing.

X

Cat Grant sat out on her balcony of her penthouse suite atop the most posh apartment building in National City, staring out over the brightly lit landscape towards the tower that embodied her personal power, the CatCo building, which was undergoing heavy repairs, after the whole fiasco with the Kryptonians threatening the city, the citizens, and Supergirl. Max Lord had almost _killed_ Supergirl, a fact she was still staggered by, and felt so relieved to find out it hadn't been true at all. But it'd been damned close. _Too_ damned close.

For all her feigned indifference, for her cattiness and attitude, for her disdain and bored demeanor she displayed at any given moment of the day, even where Supergirl was concerned, she was very, very thankful that National City, and she, had the Maid of Might watching out for them. She knew she could be full of vitriol and snarky, and even mean, with no target being out of bounds, but the truth of the matter was she admired Supergirl greatly. Not just for her powers and the things she could do, but for that inherent, and seemingly naive, belief that everyone was good somewhere inside them, deep down.

In a world full of hate, violence, crime, and atrocities too numerous and diabolical to name, Supergirl gave everyone she came into contact with hope, a hope beyond measure. Maybe she was a Girl Scout, as they accused her cousin of being a Boy Scout. Even if she was, it was an ideal that she felt everyone should strive for, regardless. The world could use some more Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts like the two Kryptonians. Even if people like her pretended they didn't like it, and didn't want any such thing near them, that was a lie, one of the biggest lies ever.

A soft breeze blew across the balcony, and Cat turned to see if maybe she'd left her living room door open, and was surprised to see Supergirl just landing on the expensive stone flooring. Her eyebrows raised, and she regarded her visitor in silence for a moment.

Supergirl looked sheepish as her red booted feet touched down, and her crimson cape swirled about her person slowly as the wind faded. "I'm sorry, Miss Grant," she said apologetically, her hands moving against one another almost nervously as she took a couple of steps around the balcony. "I wouldn't normally just drop in like this, but...but I owe you an apology, a huge one. That fight wouldn't have happened in your offices if it weren't for me. Its because of me it was all but destroyed. I'm terribly sorry about that, and I promise, I'm making the assisting in repairs of it a priority, as much as urgent events allow. I won't stop until its completely finished."

Cat stood and held up a hand, in a stopping motion. "Just stop right there," she said, sounding rather firm, and almost irritated. Her face was the usual hard mask of cynicism, and that made Supergirl feel even more deflated.

As Supergirl went quiet, Cat's face softened, just a little, and she stepped closer to the young Kryptonian. "You very nearly _died,_ thanks to that sniveling shit sack Maxwell Lord. Everyone thought for a time that you _were_ dead. The other Kryptonians, the paramilitary ones hell bent on taking the city over, brought the fight to my offices. _They_ destroyed a great deal of my building, destroyed millions of dollars worth of equipment, and nearly killed myself and dozens of employees. _They_ destroyed property, and hurt people, not _you._ You _stopped_ them, and quite spectacularly, I might add, and the film footage of that fight is probably going to win CatCo another Pulitzer. So, no, you don't owe me any apology, whatsoever. You didn't destroy anything. You _saved_ everybody and everything, you and your friends."

The media mogul reached up and gently adjusted the cape where it joined Supergirl's top, and raised her eyes back to the Kryptonian's again. Cat was amazed that for all her power, all her strength, and the abilities she had, at times she looked like a young, frightened little girl, instead of the strong, confident heroine she knew Supergirl was. "I owe you a thanks, and much more than that. You saved my life, and those of the other people...the _family_ of people...that work for me. You saved my son, Carter's, life. You saved _everybody,_ you, the masked lady, those friends of yours from whatever government agency they're _actually_ from, and my newest graphic designer, who apparently moonlights as a freelance non powered superhero."

She sighed softly, and slowly brought her hands up to cup Supergirl's face lightly. "The point of the matter is, Supergirl, that you definitely put the 'super' in 'Supergirl.' I'm very proud to have been the one to give you the name that everyone calls you, and to be the media outlet that stands behind you, documenting your journey, and the incredible things that happen with you around. I know we're not friends, or anything like that, but I'm very, very proud to have you in my corner, all the same. I think the entire city is. That's a kind of friendship you can't buy, you can't fake, and you can't find. It finds you."

The Kryptonian didn't know what to say. This was definitely not the sort of conversation she expected to have with Cat, not tonight, and not _ever_ , to be perfectly honest. She was speechless, and stood, motionless for several moments. As she stood there, Cat went a little further, "You make this city a better place, you make its citizens better people, and you give all of us something that no one before you has ever been able to give us, not on so grand a scale. That something is hope, Supergirl. We believe in you because you believe in us."

Before she could release the tears she felt coming to her eyes, she impulsively reached out and hugged Cat, tightly, but not too tightly. "Thank you, Cat," she whispered, hugging still. "Sincerely, thank you. I'm sorry to talk and run...or fly...but I've got to go. There's an emergency on the East Side."

"Don't worry about being sorry," Cat replied, releasing her and squeezing her shoulder. "Go get 'em. You've been missed, and its time that everyone in the city knows that its Guardian Angel is back, and ready for more."

With a smile, Supergirl backed up a couple of steps, and nodded, then shot into the night sky, accelerating quickly enough to set up a series of sonic booms across the city. Cat's eyes never left her as she bent and picked up her drink, taking a long sip from it. She tapped the glass with a fingertip, planning an editorial for the TV news and the paper as well. The city had nearly lost Supergirl. She was bound and determined that everyone knew that they had nothing to worry about. Supergirl was back, and ready to take down anyone that messed with her home.


	11. Epilogue

**AN** – I hope you've enjoyed this story, and that it's been as fun reading it as it has been writing it. Please read, review, let me know what you think, I'm open to all feedback. If you like my writing, I intend to be writing more, in various genres, when time permits. I already have several of my old _Star Wars_ stories, originally published on another fan fiction site, posted, and have several more of those to go. I'm a fan of many things, so expect to see stories from me in many categories, when I can write them. I look forward to seeing you there as well!

 **Epilogue**

"SUPERGIRL IS BACK!" proclaimed the headline on the front page of the _National City Tribune_ , the newspaper owned by CatCo Worldwide Media, the crawl at the bottom of the CatCo News Station, and even the crawl on CNN. National City was buzzing with the return of its favorite daughter. On any given channel which gave a news update or broadcast, the story of Supergirl's triumphant return after nearly dying was being told, examined, debated, criticized, theorized about, and simply talked about.

The huge display boards on the side of the CatCo building, and scattered throughout National City looped a montage of the Girl of Steel, the blurb making it clear that Supergirl was not down for the count as many feared. You could almost feel the electric surge of hope crackling throughout National City, and even in locales around the country. Despite the damages done to the city during the fight, despite the cold realization of what could have happened, if Non and his followers were successful, National City felt more alive than it had in some time.

Winn turned from the monitor in the makeshift offices that had been set up on a lower floor of the CatCo building while repairs were being conducted on the upper levels, and couldn't help but smile a ridiculously large smile. His coworkers were standing around, watching the screens, and smiling and laughing. Twenty four hours ago, he was distraught, hiding in a dark corner when events allowed, fearful for Kara's life. It'd been far too close a call for his comfort, and for many others, the city around. Now, he was buoyant, cheerful, and optimistic once more.

James stood next to him, shaking his head in relief, for twenty four hours ago, he was in a similar state as Winn had been. They'd even been there to try to lift the other when it seemed it's darkest. While always friendly with one another, fulfilling the role of friendly acquaintances that were friends, but not close, they had found a common thread for a more solid friendship in the crisis they'd just experienced. They'd each felt they had lost something very special and dear to both of them, in the person of Supergirl, and though they had similar feelings towards her, and could be considered rivals in a broad sense, the rivalry had diminished quite a lot in the past couple of days.

After seeing her, alive, and in person, the night before, both men felt infinitely better. The heartfelt and even somewhat tearful reunion and conversation had a profound impact on one and all. Today, they were prepared for almost anything, they felt. The worst of it was over; they were through the woods and had managed to make it through to the other side. Supergirl returned to save another day, whether it was rescuing a kitten from a tree, or taking down a squad of super powered criminals hell bent on making National City a smoking crater in the California landscape. No matter what, the Kryptonian once more stood between the people of Earth and any threat that should come to it, large or small, foreign or domestic, terrestrial or alien.

"I wonder how Kara's going to explain her absence the past few days," said James quietly as they made their way back to Winn's desk. Kara's desk was conspicuously unoccupied at the moment, everything on its surface neat and organized, as always. "Cat's definitely going to notice she's been gone the whole time Supergirl was gone, and will almost certainly be suspicious."

Winn shrugged, and half chuckled as he moved an action figure of the Black Canary over to his monitor, not far from the Flash and Green Arrow. Looking up, his smile had yet to fade. "Actually, that's probably the easiest problem to solve that we've all experienced in the past few days," he replied, his mood not wavering. "Hundreds of people were hurt, or trapped, or both, in all the chaos of Maxwell Lord's drone madness, and the Kryptonian Dipshit Squad wreaking havoc all over the city. Kara was 'at home' when Supergirl was attacked, and it's entirely feasible that she was among the hurt or trapped in the confusion."

James considered that for a moment, actually playing scenarios out in his head, and nodded slowly, as he regarded Winn, glancing up, watching the others in the office going about their business as the reports began to repeat. "You've got a very good point," he said, actually smiling once more himself. "That's a very real, and very convenient, alibi. I doubt Cat would even blink in questioning it."

"That's what I'm thinking," agreed Winn, checking his watch. "Kara said something about seeing a friend off before work, so I'm hoping Cat doesn't come yelling for her until she's back."

James and he hadn't been in on the conversation Supergirl had with the others the day before, they hadn't arrived until later. And, like she had been with Joe's secret, she'd given her word she wouldn't say anything about Laurel's secret, either, so they were both unaware of where or when she'd be telling Laurel goodbye for the time being.

The Art Director for CatCo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Shrugging, he half chuckled, "I guess she's sending the Black Canary off? She seemed like a real class act. You have to respect a beautiful woman with a right cross as beautiful as her smile." His tone wasn't sarcastic; it was obvious that he admired the Black Canary genuinely.

Winn shared the chuckle, a bemused smile coming to his face. "Yeah, you do," he replied finally. "Imagine her knocking you on your ass if you don't. That'd make for some interesting date nights."

The friends shared a laugh, and then returned to their respective jobs. Winn looked at the growing line of action figures that were posed in various poses across his desk. The Black Canary had been his latest acquisition, and he regarded it for a long time. "I'll bet your secret identity's life isn't nearly as exciting as your crime fighting life," he told the figure, going back to running system diagnostics on all the computers in the makeshift offices.

X

Laurel closed her briefcase, and headed out of the court room. Her turn to give her deposition regarding the organized crime, racketeering, murder and more involving various organized crime syndicates all over the country, including such mob luminaries as Carmine Falcone, Frank Bertinelli, and Giorgio Corleone had concluded. The evidence and summary for the Star City portion of the proceeding had now been delivered, and the judge had released her to return home.

 _Home,_ thought Laurel wistfully as she exited the federal building in downtown National City. _It seems like such a far away place right now, though it'll be good to be back home, once I'm there. National City certainly hasn't been boring._

She moved about halfway down the steps, and looked up, scanning the skies. The sounds of cars, busses and the like seemed to almost fade away as she turned in a slow half circle. _Supergirl...I mean Kara...was supposed to meet me here and we were supposed to have lunch before I left. She must be off doing some other super deed for someone. I can't begrudge her for that. Saving people is what she does._

As she took another couple of steps, still searching the sky, she felt her shoulder bump someone else. Mortified, she turned towards the person, her face showing her genuine apology. "Oh, excuse me, Miss. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you. I think I was preoccupied," she said, hoping she hadn't hit her too hard. Luckily, she hadn't fallen down or something.

The woman she'd bumped into, a tall, pretty woman with dirty blonde hair and wearing bookish looking glasses smiled a bright smile at her, and pushed her glasses back up on her nose a little. "That's okay," she replied. "No harm done. Besides, it's not like it's the first time we've run into each other." She was dressed professionally, yet comfortably at the same time. Somewhat conservative in style, but definitely a nice outfit, Laurel couldn't help but notice. She was already making note of where to look for a similar top, for example.

"I'm sorry, have we met be- Kara?" she stuttered, not believing her eyes. She'd seen Supergirl put the glasses on at the DEO backup headquarters, but her hair had been down, wavy and full. Now, it was pulled back in a neat ponytail, and it just added to the girlish charm she exuded now. "Oh my God," she continued, laughing and shaking her head. "I'm so sorry! I didn't recognize you without your...your...working clothes. You look as amazing in this as you do in your...ahem...other outfit." Though she wasn't speaking very loud, she wanted to make sure if someone did by chance overhear them, they wouldn't have any idea of what they were talking about.

Kara giggled and Laurel couldn't help but laugh. _It's such a surreal experience, hearing Supergirl, of all people, giggle! Smile, yes, laugh, of course. But_ _ **giggle?**_ It was hard to imagine such a powerful young woman, strong, confident, and reassuring giggling like a schoolgirl. _She may be Kryptonian, but she's a lot more human than many humans!_

"Thank you!" gushed Kara, walking down the steps with her then, keeping her voice quiet as well. "I love your outfit, too. It's not black, but it looks _fantastic_ on you." She was nodding towards Laurel's navy blue jacket and skirt, and the cream white blouse she wore underneath, the top button open and the collar opened away from her throat. The compliment also referenced Laurel's choice of crime fighting attire, of course.

"I was expecting you to come in on the high road," Laurel commented, still half laughing, surprised at herself for expecting Supergirl to come flying in to the court house to have lunch with her, instead of Kara walking up and meeting her. "So, I was a little distracted when you came up," she finished, a smile tugging at her lips.

Before Kara could answer, a black SUV pulled up and parked, and Alex, Hank and Joe stepped from it, all seeming happy. It's not every day that disaster turned into relief, and everyone was showing that. "Hey, guys. Need a lift? Since we all know what everyone likes, I know the perfect place for lunch. Hop in," Alex said, nodding from Laurel and Kara towards the SUV.

The five friends all got in the vehicle and Alex's sure hand guided it towards the restaurant she had in mind. _Friends,_ reflected Laurel as they rode, chatting and laughing along the way. _You never know when you're going to make new ones, or how great they're going to be. I kind of feel like I won the lottery here,_ she thought, unable to stop smiling.

They got to the restaurant and went in, sat down, and talked and laughed as they waited for their lunches to arrive. The conversation was good, full of good feelings and relief at the way things turned out. Eventually, however, it had to end. Laurel had a long drive back to Star City, Alex and Hank had to return to the backup DEO headquarters and get things moving, and Kara and Joe had to return to work at CatCo. Alex gave Kara and Laurel a ride to Laurel's car, and said her good byes before taking Hank back to the DEO.

As they exited the SUV, Kara told Alex she'd see her later that evening, and walked with Laurel to her car. Laurel unlocked the door, and turned to her new friend. "I've really enjoyed my visit here," she said, a slow smile coming to her lips. "If you don't count you nearly dying, half the city getting blasted to hell, and crazy billionaires and addle brained Kryptonians trying to take over the city and eventually the world, I mean."

Her smile grew a little, and she put her hand on Kara's shoulder. "I admired you, and what you stood for, before I ever got here. Having met you, your sister, and your friends, I understand why you inspire such things in people, why the citizens of your city don't brand you a vigilante, but a hero. So, now I feel like I've got new members of the family. I'll have to come back soon and see all of you. I'll miss you, and your friends, Kara. You'll always have a friend in me."

Kara couldn't help but smile. Looking around making sure the lot was vacant except for them and cars, she looked back at Laurel. "I know that the people of Star City see you guys differently than they do me, here. Though I thought some of the methods your friends sometimes employed were a little extreme, I knew that you weren't just taking the law into your own hands, and dealing out whatever punishment you saw fit. I knew, without a doubt, that what you were trying to do was a good thing, and I've seen the changes you guys have made on the news, and in the talk that sometimes springs up about all of you. The Black Canary and Team Arrow are doing a _lot_ of good in very difficult circumstances. You just have to be strong, have hope, and keep moving," Kara said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"Thank you for that, Kara, sincerely," replied Laurel, her eyes intent on Kara's. "There was a time, before I knew who Green Arrow was, that I was bound and determined to bring him in, to let justice have its way, because no matter what, he was breaking the law to defend it. I didn't understand at the time, and this was after I had been their champion in the DA's office and the police station just months earlier.

"I know now, and understand now, the reasoning behind the methods. Sometimes, they were extreme, yes, and some _very_ extreme. But knowing the man under the mask and hood of Green Arrow, and knowing the kind of person he is, inside, I know that the extreme things he did, he did because he wasn't able to find another solution, and in those times, there _wasn't_ another solution, not one that he could use. He'd learned to do it without flinching, but that didn't keep him from feeling the cost of doing so.

"It wasn't until I was faced with a situation where I had to make the same sort of choice myself that I understood what he went through, every time he had to make that decision. Thankfully, I wasn't forced to make that decision, and was spared the ghosts that often haunt him, even now. But I still think about it, and even the fact that I was in that position keeps me grounded." She trailed off, watching Kara's face for a reaction, wondering what she was thinking about her new friend.

Kara's face wasn't horrified, or judgmental and accusing. It was understanding and sympathetic, genuinely so. Laurel breathed a sigh of relief as Kara took a breath and said, "I hope I'm never faced with that sort of situation. I don't think I could get through it, and stay in one piece. You're strong, Laurel, a lot stronger than I am in some ways. You said you admired me, and that's very touching, in all seriousness. I've admired you too, and your friends, for years. In some ways, you inspired me as much as my cousin, Kal El, did, and that's saying a _lot_."

What Kara was saying meant a lot to Laurel. Her smile quivered a little, and she opened the door to her car, putting her hands on the frame around the window. "I hate to, Kara, but I've got to get going. It's a long drive back to Star City, and it's going to be late when I get home. I promise, I'll come back and see you all soon. You're family now, and family sticks together," she said, reaching out to hug the Kryptonian tightly.

Kara opened her arms as well, and gave Laurel a hug like she hugged Alex, tight, but not too tight. "You'd better, or I'll have to fly up and bring you back for a visit. You're right, we're family now, and family has to stick together. Who knows, maybe some of the guys and I can come see you all sometime soon? We'll make a vacation out of it," she said, releasing Laurel and stepping back a step. "You're always family to me, Laurel. Please drive safe, and if you need _anything,_ call me, text me, message me, email me, whatever you have to do to get the message through. I'm there for you."

They hugged again, said their goodbyes, and with a wistful smile on each of their faces, Laurel got in her car, waved, and headed for the interstate, while Kara hugged her arms around herself loosely, and turned back towards the street. She listened to the sound of Laurel's car, the music she was listening to on the radio, and even her half of the conversation she was having with Felicity Smoak about being on her way back to Star City, and that she would check in regularly, until the surrounding sounds of traffic and people blended in with it and drowned it out.

As she walked back towards the street in front of the hotel Laurel had been staying in, Joe walked up to her and fell in step with her as they walked along the sidewalk. "It's always hard saying good bye to the people you've grown to love, even when you know you'll be seeing them again soon," he said without preamble as they walked along. "Laurel's really something, and you know, she's even more out of sight in person than I thought she'd be, watching her on the news." He chuckled softly at that thought.

Kara looked up at him, and nodded, her smile slowly returning, little by little. "Yeah," she agreed. "That's true. And you're right. She _is_ really awesome. It's going to feel so strange for the next little while, with her not being here. I guess I just got used to her being around for the time she's been here."

"So, that means we take a road, or cloud, trip to Star City soon, huh?" he quipped, patting her on the back lightly. His expression grew concerned, and he stopped, turning to her. "Hey, are you all right?" She seemed more down than he expected her to be at Laurel's departure, or any of the events of the past few days from what he could tell.

Kara was silent for a couple of moments, and then looked back at him, nodding. "Yeah, I'm okay," she replied, touching his arm. "I'm sure you heard at least part of what I told Laurel. You're family, too, Joe. You always will be, and if you need anything at all, you know you can come to me, and I'll make it happen, however I can." With that, she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek softly, lingering just a moment before settling back on her feet once more.

Joe's face grew a little redder than it normally was, and smiled, looking a little bewildered. "What was that for?" he asked. _I'm not complaining. I'll happily do whatever it was I did to have it happen again!_ He laughed at his own thoughts as he waited for his answer.

"Take your pick," she answered with a smile, and as they continued their walk once more. "For helping save my life, for believing in me, for being there and being family, for being someone I know I can depend on, lots of reasons. Or take all of the above. You, my dear, dear friend, are a treasure I intend to keep close and safe, as I do all the people that are important to me and have a place in my heart, my family."

Chuckling, he glanced at his watch, and frowned for a second. "We'd better get back to the office, before Cat figures out we've been out to lunch for almost four hours," he said, a light laugh tingeing his voice.

Kara couldn't agree more. They picked up the pace, and arrived back at CatCo in a short time, with a little assistance from Kara's super speed.

X

They'd gotten back in time for Cat to call her into her office, and tell her she was glad Kara was back. She actually seemed to care enough about what she was saying to truly appear as if she were paying attention to it. Kara fed her the story about having been trapped, and only recently rescued, and having spent a while at the hospital, getting checked out, and Cat seemed to buy it, with almost no questions. The meeting went very smoothly, and eerily cordial, to Kara's way of thinking. Had some alien body snatcher taken over Cat's mind? Had some shape shifter replaced her?

Somewhat bewildered, Kara left Cat's office, and finished up her work for the day. By the time she was done, most of the other employees had gone home already, and Cat was busily working on something.

As she gathered her things, and headed for the elevator, her cell phone rang. Checking the Caller ID, she saw it was from Clark. She answered as the elevator doors closed, "Hi, Clark." She hoped this wasn't some sort of lecture, or something like that. She was feeling pretty good and wanted to stay that way. Clark rarely made her feel that way, but since she'd almost died, she was sort of expecting it. She did frown a little though. Clark never called her if he thought she might still be at the office. He'd usually instant message her. "You called, instead of messaging me. Is everything okay?"

She could hear some shuffling of stuff in the background, and Clark's voice came across the speaker, "I just got back from off world a couple of hours ago, Kara. Lois filled me in on what's been happening. This was _far_ too important for an IM conversation. I _had_ to actually hear you. Are you okay? I mean, really, are you okay?" She could hear the genuine concern in his voice, and she felt bad for worrying him.

"I'm okay now, yes," she replied, stepping out of the elevator and heading for the door. "I had a pretty rough and scary time of things, but I made it through it, with the help of my friends, my family. That includes thoughts of you, Clark. I know if you'd been here, you'd have done anything to come help. Alex, Hank, James, Winn, all of them, they all helped me through it, and helped me back so I could do what I had to, and get things settled."

Clark chuckled softly, and she could imagine him leaning back in his office chair. "I've always told you that you were my hero, Kara. You faced certain death, but yet, here you are. Always bringing the hope, that's what you do. I think your parents would be proud of you, if they could see the amazing woman you've become. I know I'm _damned_ proud of you, always have been, always will be. I saw you had some friends from out of town on this one. Laurel's good people, Kara. She, Oliver, John, Felicity, Thea...they're all good people. They're the kind of friends you want to have on your side. They do things differently, yes, but they're different people, with different circumstances. It's the people they are that are important, not the people you see or hear about."

Kara's jaw dropped a little, because she couldn't believe it. But, after a moment, she realized she should have known all along. "You know Laurel and the others?" she asked, her voice rising in pitch slightly. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

Her cousin's voice was soft, and the laugh that escaped his lips was brief and quiet. "No, I don't know them, not like you know Laurel, no. But I've been watching, been paying attention. I've kept an eye on them to make sure they weren't something we'd have to take care of at some point. What I've learned, I trust. What I see, I trust. And what I see, and what I know, is that they're good people."

Kara digested everything he'd just said, and put it away in her mind, in a safe place. If Clark trusted them, then her instincts about Laurel, about Joe, they were right on the money. She never doubted that she was right, but it was good to hear, all the same. "I just tried to do my best, to do what I thought you would do. I've learned so much from you, just listening to you, watching you, hearing about you. You're the kind of hero I want so much to be, the person I so much want to be like, in my own way."

Clark was quiet for a second, but finally his voice came through the phone again. "That's actually kind of funny," he said, the lightness in his voice comforting. "A lot of what I know, what I do, I learned from you. I know I was just a baby when we were on Krypton, and I was only there a few weeks before mom and dad sent me here, but it was the time I spent around you, feeling the kind of person you were, in my heart, that stuck with me. My parents influenced me, of course. My human parents influenced me. Your parents, your human parents, they all had some influence on who I became too, but in the beginning, there was my big cousin Kara, and her huge heart, her unwavering goodness, and the way she was the very essence of what the House of El was supposed to be. Hope. That's what first set me on my path. I remember. Vague things, but memories, all the same. Maybe you inspired me, so later, I could inspire you? It's a huge, never ending loop."

As they were talking, Kara had slipped away from view, and had flown home, coming in through her window too fast for anybody to see. Sitting down, she breathed softly, unable to believe what she was hearing. Her eyes welled up with happy tears, and she felt she smiled like a loon as she replied, "You always know just what to say to make things feel better, Clark. Thank you. I hate to do it, but I need to get some stuff done. Thank you for calling and checking up on me."

"Its okay, Kara, really," he answered, shifting his position in his chair. "I've got some work I need to take care of as well. I just tell you what I think and feel. I'm glad it helps. You're family, Kara. You can always count on me, no matter what. Remember that, and even though we lost everything when Krypton exploded, we didn't lose each other. Tell your mom and Alex hello for me, okay? And Kara...never forget, I love you. I'll talk to you later in the week. Talk soon."

"I love you too, Clark. I'll talk to you then, and I'll tell them. Talk soon," she answered, and hung up the phone, tears rolling down her cheeks, but they weren't sad tears. They were tears of happiness, because she knew that what Clark had said was true. They were family, they had each other, and they had their families here on Earth, and the friends they'd made that went along with them.

After a few minutes, her normal, beautiful smile returned to her face. When Alex came in, she gave her another huge hug, and thanked her again. She used to think of her life as a survivor story, but a lonely and empty one. She knew now that she lost everything, so she could gain everything, and so much more. Here, on Earth, among her friends and family, Kara Zor El, Kara Danvers, Supergirl...they were all _home_.


End file.
